


Endless

by Destany_Mitchell



Series: Boo Normal [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: BAMF Lucifer, Borrowing Characters from the Comics without Reading the Comics (I know bad!), Deckerstar but not the main focus, Ella/Lucifer Friendship, Episode: s03e25 Boo Normal, Gen, General Season 3 Spoilers, God quotes Dumbledore because why not?, Light Deckerstar, Lightbringer, Linda/Mazikeen if you squint, Nightmares, Worldbuilding, tribe night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-06-16 22:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15447087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destany_Mitchell/pseuds/Destany_Mitchell
Summary: The LAPD is approached by a woman who believes her husband was murdered.  She came home from a work trip to her husband's dead body.  There was no sign of a struggle.  No blood.  No evidence of foul play.  The doors and windows were locked and nothing was missing.  It was like he died in his sleep.  Only his adrenaline levels were through the roof.  It was as if his heart, brain, and lungs had burst in fear.  Can Team Deckerstar solve the case before one of their own succumbs to this mysterious killer?  Note: this fic picks up about a week after the events of my one shot "Boo Normal".  This fic is not necessary for this one but a couple things will likely make more sense if you've read it.  Warnings and rating may go up once this progresses but I don't see it going up or needing a disclaimer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Those who read and commented on my previous fic, Boo Normal, you requested and I plotted. I suspect this might not be what you were expecting but I wanted to play with the mythology. I do not own Lucifer, it's characters or any of the like. I just borrowed them for a ride. No copyright infringement or violations were intended. I am not making money off of this work ... unless you count the Kudos and comments. I do not have much knowledge on the comics and my understanding of The Endless comes from reading various online sources which, overall, do not provide much insight. I'll admit though, I didn't dig deep because I liked the premise and decided to run with them. If there is a comic fan out there who would like to provide me with more substance about the characters (specifically Dream and Death), I'd love to get your take on them but I'm likely to stick with my headcannon. 
> 
> This first chapter is a bridge of sorts from my prior story, Boo Normal to this one. The next chapter dives into the case.

"Ok. Once last question," Ella said, grinning at the man standing across from her. He smiled in response, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Promises, promises Ms. Lopez." He drawled as he refilled his glass with an amber colored liquor from a crystal decanter. She suspected it was a scotch that cost more than the salaries of the entire LAPD combined but she wasn't an expert on identifying liquor by its color. He had offered her a sip at the beginning of the evening which she had vehemently turned down. She learned over the course of the week her pallet couldn't handle his liquor. She did not appreciate the burn from a sip that lasted for days. She'd settle on rum and the occasional cinnamon whiskey when she was feeling dangerous.

Since the night in her lab when she learned of his, and Ray-Ray's, true origins, the pair had taken to hanging out more frequently. It wasn't unusual that he lingered in her lab as Chloe and Dan worked on paperwork or ran down leads. She wasn't sure how he was able to still manage a night club while he was hanging with her, but she liked the company. And she found she genuinely liked hanging out with him. He really was her guardian devil.

Over the course of the week, she'd gotten her share of questions in, much to his amusement. She suspected he didn't give her the full truth but it was enough that she was happy with them. She didn't need to know the mysteries of the world. She was just trying to satisfy her scientific curiosity. During their discussions, She avoided the big things like the fall and the creation of the universe. She would love to have him talk of these things but she suspected these topics were off limits. She wanted him to offer those stories by his own choosing and not because he felt obligated or because she asked. She stuck to asking about certain events like Noah's Arc ("the smell of it was enough to destroy the world") and the Flood ("a little rain that got out of hand"), the Garden of Eden ("more of a park really"), and Jesus (which was met with a scoff and an eye roll).

"You and Decker," She started and he straightened from his relaxed stance against the bar and into something more akin to a runner's starting position. Something like suspicion filled his eyes as he waited for her to finish her thought and she knew she needed to be careful with her next words. A week ago, he would have sauntered off with a jaunty wave and a flirtatious smile at the closest attractive person (which was basically anyone since they were sitting at the main bar at Lux) and she never would have gotten her question asked, let alone answered. Progress has been made in the way he didn't immediately bolt but she knew he would if she wasn't careful. Though he's come a long way, Lucifer still wasn't comfortable with all aspects of the human experience. Friends and confidants are a foreign concept to him but he seemed to be catching on. He was more open with her in the last week than he ever had been and she wasn't about to start taking advantage and scare him away. She had been longing to ask him this one all week but suspected he'd clam up if she tried. It was now or never though. Tribe night was about to begin and she wanted his answer before she pestered Chloe about her partner's obvious avoidance. Something was going on with them. They weren't ... it wasn't obvious that they were fighting or were on the outs like the time he returned from Vegas or when Chloe got fed up with his antics. They were friendly. Cordial even. But Lucifer was careful around her. He didn't touch her and he often stayed several steps away. He didn't comment unless it was about something case related that wasn't his normal quips or puns. He was obviously avoiding working closely with her and he was more often to be found in Ella's lab than at Chloe's desk (or Dan's even). He was surprisingly well behaved and Ella's heart hurt watching them. It wasn't natural and something had to give.

"Go on," He stated, his tone even and clipped as if he was dreading what she was about to ask. As Ella considered the phrasing, he downed the rest of his drink in a long swallow, not even flinching at the burn she knew must be going through his throat. Then again, the man had hell fire in his eyes so the burn of alcohol was probably nothing more than a tickle to him.

"You two have been avoiding each other for weeks," She stated and he opened his mouth as if to protest and Ella held up a finger, silencing him before he could sweet talk his way out of this one. "Oh don't think I haven't noticed. You voluntarily worked with Dan on the last two cases and you two barely say two words to each other at work unless it's case related. You haven't been yourself around her lately and I'm worried something bad happened. You've been patient with helping me in the lab for the last couple weeks and answering my questions so ... I guess I want to help," She concluded with a shrug. Lucifer stared at her as if what she was saying was a completely foreign concept. It probably was outside of therapy and she wasn't all that sure how much of that he actually understood. "So what gives?" She asked, raising her eyebrow, giving him a look that she knew even her brother's couldn't stand down. Maybe the devil wouldn't flinch but she'd give it her damndest.

Lucifer sighed and reached for the crystal decanter to refill his drink, a frown on his face and Ella suspected he was debating what to tell her. As he gathered his thoughts, Ella took a moment to glance at her phone for the time. It was almost 10:30 and the girls were going to be here soon. It was Saturday night and Lux was busy but it wasn't at its peak yet. That would happen within the next hour or so. The corner of the bar Ella sat at with Lucifer remained empty (along with a wide berth). She was actually surprised no one had approached them but she's been to Lux enough to know there was some unspoken pecking order that everyone seemed to follow. She had no clue what the "rules" were but she didn't care. None of them applied to her and the Tribe so she never bothered to figure them out. From the corner of her eyes, she could see a group of girls look over at her with scowls and touches of longing. Apparently they felt Lucifer was neglecting his guests but they didn't dare to approach. Ella thought about saluting the girls with her drink but decided against it. She didn't need to be paranoid every time she went to the bathroom tonight. She turned her attention back to Lucifer, giving him a pointed look as he took a sip of his drink before shaking his head.

"It seems, Ms. Lopez, that nothing gets by you," He stated, setting his glass down and fixing her with a pained look. "Not everyone takes ..." he hesitated a moment before sighing. "certain _enlightenments_ as easily as others."

"Wait ... Chloe knows?" Ella was fairly certain her jaw had become unhinged and was resting on the bar. Of course. It made sense! _I've seen weirder_. That's what Chloe had said when she had told her about Ray Ray. She thought she had meant ... she didn't know what she thought Chloe had meant but it all made sense now.

"Yes," he answered simply, a pained expression on his face.

"I take it things didn't go well?" Ella asked, reaching across the bar to squeeze his hand. She might need to fling herself over the bar and hug him. He was due for a hug.

"She...she took it better than expected but not as well as you," Lucifer stated, his voice even and matter of fact and she felt a chill run down her spine. If she's learned anything over the course of the last week as the more measured and even his tone, the more was hiding something. Usually his emotions. The fact he was so blasé over this meant something big happened and there was a part of her that longed to ask what it was. "It was a bit ... well it wasn't planned and it was a bit of a shock. After the initial shock and panic wore off, she asked for space to process and I..."

"... am a big scaredy cat and are running away from the problem?" Ella finished, raising an eyebrow. He scoffed and turned his attention away, looking out into the crowds before returning his gaze to her. Something guarded returned to his eyes and she could see the mask slipping into place. Apparently their newfound camaraderie did not include constructive criticism on human interactions. Maybe she should talk to Linda and have her head that issue off.

"I am not..." He trailed off as something behind her grabbed his attention. His whole body froze, and she caught the furrowed eyebrows and look of concern for a brief moment before it vanished. He turned his attention back to her and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lopez, there's someone I have to ... " He trailed off and she caught reluctance on his part. As if he didn't want to make her too aware of this someone? "I'll leave you to your Tribe Night." He concluded before finishing his drink and slipping out from behind the bar in a way that was contrary to the concerned look she had seen before he walked away.

She turned on her bar stool to watch him weave through the crowds, stopping to talk to various guests, the role of the carefree club owner firmly in place as he moved towards whatever had grabbed his attention. She frowned as she watched, trying to scan the crowd and see what would have caught his attention.

"You started without us!" An exaggeratedly shocked voice said, and she turned her head to see Linda sliding onto the bar stool next to her with Maze and Chloe behind her.

"That's cause for execution in some places," Maze stated matter-of-factly and Ella felt a chill go down her spine. She suspected she knew just which place Maze was talking about.

"Leave her alone, Maze." Chloe chided, choosing not to sit on the seat next to Maze but to stand next to Ella instead, smiling at the younger girl as everyone got settled. Ella offered to give up her seat but Chloe turned it down. Apparently she had been sitting all day working on homework with Trixie and needed to stand for a bit. After the initial introductions, hugs, and "woo Tribe Night" were exchanged, Ella turned away from the group and tried to see if she could spot Lucifer. Something about his abrupt departure didn't sit right with her.

While the other three chatted merrily among themselves and waited for their drinks (no line at the bar nor long waits for the Tribe girls), Ella turned back around and scanned the crowd for Lucifer. At first, she didn't see him and she frowned, wondering if he had went back upstairs. As she was about to turn her attention to the continuation of a story about Linda's nameless client who would not talk about anything but his fascination with fire hydrants (it was more than an obsession, really), she spotted Lucifer in a dark corner, speaking with a man that appeared about his age. Between the distance and the lighting, she couldn't make out any definite features but the man was definitely shorter and was probably the same age. As she tried to take him in, there was something about him that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she felt a chill. He felt...wrong, even from here and she wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it before. Or was she being influenced by Lucifer's reaction? As she watched, it appeared they were discussing something and it did not look friendly but it didn't look like it was totally unfriendly either. Ella found herself frowning, wondering if she (or maybe Maze?) should go check on him. Before she could decide if something was going on, she felt a weight on her shoulder that snapped her back to the present and to the person standing next to her. Chloe had her hand on her shoulder, a look of concern on her face.

"You ok, Ella?" She asked, as if she had been trying to get her attention for awhile.

"What? OH, yeah. I just ..." Ella turned her head back around but both Lucifer and the man were gone. She frowned. Did she image the exchange?

Chloe sighed and eyed her, as if she was trying to solve one of her cases, concern filling her gaze as she studied her.

"Come on Girls, it's girls night!" Linda hollered as she picked up her shot, clicked glasses with Maze, and the pair downed with Linda wincing and Maze looking mildly uncomfortable but not significantly affected. More like she was offended by the taste than anything. Linda signaled for another round and soon, all four ladies were doing shots. As the night progressed, drinks continued to be poured and the girls moved their way to the dance floor and eventually to one of the booths once Linda and Maze had given up on trying to convince Ella the bartender was cute (he was) and she should take him home for the night (she would not).

Once they were settled in their booth, a tangle of drunken bodies and giggles, Chloe sat up and attempted to point at Ella, her finger waving drunkenly around but the intent was there.

"What isssssh going ooooonnn withhh yooooou and Lushifer?" She managed to get out, her words slurring due to the mass amounts of alcohol consumed so far. They would all be getting Ubers home or crashing in Lucifer's loft. It wouldn't be the first time for either.

"What?"

"Don't thinkkkk I haven't notished." Chloe stated, shaking her finger, giving Ella what could only be a drunken version of "the Mom eyes".

"Oooooo," Linda said, sitting up straighter. "What is going on with you and Lucifer?" Despite having drank almost as much as Maze, Linda could hold her liquor well. Her words were not slurring but her inhibitions were definitely lowered. Her tone seemed to indicate something juicy and Ella couldn't help but make a face at the insinuation. Yes, Lucifer was attractive and all but...no, just no. Maze just looked interested but in a bored way. The way she seemed to look when gossip was afoot between their friends that didn't involve her knives. A time would have been when she would have offered to cut someone before the conversation got further than it has. Progress thy name is Mazikeen.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about," Ella stated, waving her hands in dismissal but it was probably more like a flail based on the number of drinks she had. Whatever. She didn't care.

"You twooo have beeeeen clossshher lateleeeee." Chloe observed, something like jealously in her eyes.

"Yeah ... it turns out I know his sister," She answered with a shrug. It was the truth. If the other girls hadn't deemed her worthy enough to fill her in, she'd let them figure out what she knew.

"Sister?!" The other three blurted out in surprise but Maze's expression quickly switched from surprise to one of anger. She snarled and pulled a knife from who knew where and leaned over Linda, almost nose to nose with Ella. Ella resisted the urge to lean away, to shift. She knew if she did, Maze would use it to her advantage so she stayed where she was, trying not to let fear kill her buzz.

"Which sister? How do you know her? Is she here? I'll"

"Woah, Maze," Linda said, her voice calm and soothing, switching instantly from drunken girl friend to therapist. She leaned forward and grabbed onto Maze and pulled her away from Ella. Though Ella knew if she really wanted to, Maze wouldn't have been moved. "Calm down, ok."

"It's important. I need to know"

"Azrael." Ella answered and Maze frowned.

"Little Azzy?"

"Ray-Ray, but yeah."

Maze's eyes widened.

"Only Lucifer calls her that." Maze frowned and Ella couldn't read the expression on her face. It was almost ... contemplative.

"Well...I guess I do too."

"Wait ... wait ... you know?!" Chloe asked, her words more sober than they were a few moments ago. I guess talk of Demons, Devils, and Angels can sober you up pretty quickly.

"Yeah ... it was after I told you about my ghost. It turns out she wasn't a ghost but a sort of ... guardian angel I guess. Lucifer came to the lab and we got talking. It ... I don't think he meant to tell me right then but yeah I know."

Chloe looked stricken at the revelation, Maze frowned, as if evaluating if she was worthy before she nodded and gave her a look of approval. Linda just looked happy but that could have been the alcohol.

"Well, if you ever need to talk ..." Linda trailed off, gesturing in a manner to indicate Ella could frequent her couch.

"I'm good."

"You're good?" Chloe asked, looking both skeptical and ashamed.

"Yeah ... I mean, I guess it's because I always knew there was something different about him. The guy never broke character and some things just didn't add up," Ella said and shrugged. "I don't know. When I finally knew the truth, it just all made sense. It's not like he's ever lied to us about who he is and it's not like he's out there advocating murder and mayhem," Ella paused and reconsidered. "OK... maybe a bit of mayhem but he's still our Lucifer and until he tries to steal my soul or starts rounding up the apocalypse, I guess I'm good."

There was a long pause as the group absorbed Ella's words.

"Well, as a therapist, it is my professional opinion we all need more drinks. My buzz is GONE." Linda stated, sitting up to look for a waiter/waitress and signaling the first one she saw.

"Damn straight! Onto the important things, like getting Ella laid!" Maze yelled, looking out at the crowd to see if she could spot the next victim.

Ella rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing it was better to let Maze have her hunt than to talk her out of it. The next round of drinks appeared and the girls continued to get their buzz on. As the night progressed, she occasionally caught Chloe staring at her drink or studying her, as if trying to work through some complicated problem.

When Maze and Linda got up to stalk the next prospect, Ella slid over and sat next to Chloe and sighed.

"Hey, I know we all deal with things our own way, but my advice?" Ella stated, and hesitated. "Not that you asked but"

"No, it's ok."

"Don't over think it. He's still Lucifer. She's still Maze. Except now you know they're not crazy method actors."

Chloe chuckled and gave her a small smile.

"You're right." She stated before grabbing her hand. "Now come on. We need to put the brakes on this thing before they send someone to your bedroom in wait."

Ella froze, staring at Chloe with widened eyes of horror.

"Do you think they'd do that?"

"Linda? Maybe not. Maze? Definitely." Chloe stated as she pulled Ella out of the booth and shimming her way to the dance floor where Maze and Linda were evaluating their next prospect.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay on this one...Lucifer was not wanting to cooperate with me and I needed to establish a bit of my mythology here. See end of Chapter Notes for more.

One minute things were about to get interesting with three leggy blondes and a number of items from his toy collection and the next he was standing in semi darkness, a castle looming in the distance.  He had a moment of disorientation before he realized the blondes weren't real and he was dreaming.  Wonderful.

"Come on.  Out with you." Lucifer called out in annoyance, turning slowly in a circle for signs of the being who ruined a perfectly good dream.  He caught sight of a large raven flying overhead and he frowned at the sight.  He hoped he wasn't going to be dealing with that creature.  He needed to settle this once and for all with the man who brought him here.

"Lucifer."

Lucifer turned around and glared at the being before him.  The man was tall, thin, with skin too pale to be human.  He'd seen skeletons with more color on them.  His hair was darker than the darkest pits of hell which only enhanced the skeletal look.  However it was always the eyes that made him uneasy.  In place of the typical eyes, there was only the night sky, the stars reflecting out.  Currently, the stars were silver which boded well for him.  The being wasn't angered.  Yet. 

"Morpheus," Lucifer spat in annoyance, eyes narrowing at the man moved closer.  "For the keeper of dreams, you sure ruined a good one."

"Like you needed the dream realm to fulfill that desire, Lucifer."

Lucifer huffed in response and had to acknowledge, the being did have a point.  However, he had a right to be annoyed.  They had talked not even eight hours ago and Lucifer had told him in no uncertain terms to sod off.  Apparently, he needed a reminder. 

"And apparently, you don't know the meaning of 'get lost' so let me rephrase that for you in other terms.  Sod off.  Go to hell.  Leave me alone.  Go fuck yourself...Take your pick."

"Are you done yet, Lord of Hell?"

Lucifer shook his head and resisted the urge to call the fires of hell to him.  While they were a strange comfort, he didn't think using their flames would send the appropriate message.    

"No.  See, I'm retired.  I can't help you, not even if I wanted to so go find another celestial to annoy." Lucifer paused, smirking at Morpheus. "If you need a recommendation, Preferably Amenadiel but you can also call upon God's Messenger, Gabriel, or the Sword of God, Michael, or any number of my various siblings and they'll probably revel in the Endless seeking their counsel." Lucifer paused and shrugged.  "Or they'll scream in terror.  Either way, it's a win for me."

"It has to be you, Lucifer, Former Lord of Hell and Lightbringer." Morpheus stated, his voice solemn and completely unapologetic.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and turned away from Morpheus, a humorless laugh escaping him.  "Of course.  Because, why not?  None of you lot can just leave me be and get on with your own lives."

"I told you, there is a being-"

"Who is attempting to drain the Endless, yes, yes I heard you.  What I don't understand is why you can't seem to grasp that I can't help you." Lucifer recapped their last conversation, annoyance flaring within him.  The Endless were powerful beings in their own right.  Together, they hold more power than any Celestial and most gods.  They represented the forces of the universe consisting of Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.  Without the Endless, there wouldn't be anything.  While his experience with the group as a whole was limited, he'd had run ins over the millennia with Dream and the master of Dreams wasn't a fluffy bunny.  He could take care of himself and Lucifer was certain the other beings were just as formidable.

"Lucifer, you are half of the power of creation-"

"Was."

" _Are_."

Lucifer let out a huff of annoyance and continued to glare at Morpheus.  The starry eyes just stared back and it was difficult to tell if he was getting angered or if he really was that calm.  The stars began to feel wrong and a bit disturbing and Lucifer found himself looking away and towards the raven that landed a few feet away. 

"And the Endless are as old as time.  There's rumors you lot are older than Dad himself so why can't you handle this threat yourselves?"

"Because it is feeding off of us one by one." Morpheus stated and continued.  "Had you not thrown a temper tantrum and listened to me when I came to you before, you would already know this." Morpheus paused and Lucifer knew the being was trying to determine if he was finally listening.  Lucifer sighed in annoyance and waved a hand indicating for him to continue.  The sooner Morpheus said his peace, the sooner Lucifer could tell him to go find someone else and return to the blondes in his dream.  Assuming Morpheus didn't decide to turn that into a nightmare.

"In limited circumstances, we can borrow power from one another.  It usually happens when one of us is otherwise disposed of or unable to answer the call ourselves." Lucifer nodded his understanding and Morpheus continued. "There is a new being out there that has attached itself to Death.  Destiny himself didn't see this and the being has become more and more powerful.  My sister is no longer herself and has been consumed by this..." Morpheus trailed off a moment, as if searching for the right word to use. " _Thing_.  I tried to help her but by doing so ... it seems it has begun consuming me," Morpheus paused, and looked at Lucifer and it unnerved him to see desperation in those starry eyes.  "I know not how long it will be before it overtakes me as well but it has already entered the Dream Realm.  I've been able to keep it mostly at bay but I don't know how long I have before it consumes me as it did Death.  I can't seek out my siblings for it will only overtake them as well.  I fear that once it has hold of both the realms of Death and Dream, the others will fall shortly after.  And who knows what will happen if we all fall." Morpheus concluded and a heavy silence fell over the pair.  The Raven cawed once, the only noise in the realm around them.

"Morpheus, I-"

The Dream realm began to blur and Lucifer closed his eyes, against a stabbing light behind his eyes.  Things continued to get brighter and a ringing began to fill his head, piercing his brain and causing him to cry out at the suddenness of the sharp noise.

"Lucifer you can't-"

 He gasped and sat up, heart pounding, head aching and eyes squinting against the harsh LA light streaming into the penthouse.  It took him a moment to get himself under control before he realized the noise had been his cell phone.  He flung an arm out and grasped it, hitting the answer button without looking at the caller ID.  He didn't get a chance to utter a greeting before the person on the other end started talking.

"Oh, Good.  You're awake."

"Chloe?" He managed to croak out and he winced at how rough his voice sounded.  He cleared his throat and she paused.  He wasn't sure if it was because she was afraid she interrupted something or was concerned about his uncharacteristic rasp. 

"Yeah.  We've got a new case," She finally said, filling the silence, her voice sounding tentative as if it wasn't what she wanted to say.  "The address is relatively close to you so I can pick you up on the way or"

"I'll meet you there," Lucifer cut off, still trying to shake the abrupt departure from the Dream Realm. 

"OK. I'll text you the address." Chloe stated, her voice sounding a little disappointed.

"Detective"

"I have to go.  I'll see you soon." Chloe stated and hung up.  Lucifer sighed and tossed the phone aside, rubbing his face with his hands in an attempt to clear his mind.  He took a couple breathes and flung his legs over the edge of the bed. 

He didn't know what to do about Morpheus and the Endless.  He understood the problem but how was he suppose to stop some being from controlling Death and Dream? Those were not his realms.  And even if they were, he suspected Dad and the sibs wouldn't take too kindly to him stepping in and "taking control".  He also knew none of his siblings would help the Endless without Dad's command.  The Endless were the celestial equivalent of the boogie men so it was only fitting the Devil got in league with them and who knew how long Dad would tolerate that association.  But he couldn't think on that right now.  He had a case and keeping his relationship, whatever it is, with the Detective would always take priority.  Morpheus and the Endless would have to wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to include the Endless in this because, when I did some reading on the comics, I thought they sounded interesting. All of my knowledge has been gained from limited inquiries and reading about them on Wikipedia and other sources so I took what I read and put my own spin on them while trying to keep some of the core elements there. Any mistakes or misunderstandings are my own but, in this story, the Endless has been built to my own Head Cannon as well as their roles in the whole Celestial order. 
> 
> Next chapter is back to Ella's POV. I suspect this fic will alternate between Lucifer and Ella but Lucifer is more difficult to write so I may need to switch up his chapters if they aren't working.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, I am so sorry for this delay! All I can say, is being a CPA and dealing with extended tax due dates and writing do not mix well! 
> 
> On another note, I was struggling with a later piece of this on how it would play out. It honestly came to me in a dream and I wrote this chapter and the later one this week. I can't wait to share the other one ... it was emotionally draining to write and I hope it reads just as powerfully once it's completed. Unfortunately, it's about 5 or 6 chapters too early. I'm looking forward to bridging the gap so I have not given up on this and I will continue it. Hopefully things will quiet down a bit on the work side of things and I'll be able to keep this moving. The majority of this is already mentally planned out with various parts actually written in my head so it makes things easier when I find the time to sit down and write it out. 
> 
> Another good note, I believe this chapter is almost twice as long than the last so hopefully that helps to make up for the delay.

"I don't know why they called _you_ in." The uniformed cop said, his annoyance coloring his voice as he watched her approach; as if his attitude wasn't made clear by the scowl on his face and the way he crossed his arms and stood in the doorway to the home she was called to.  Then again, she can't remember ever seeing this particular beat cop with a look other than a scowl before.  Part of her wondered if the old add-age of 'careful or your face will freeze that way' had more merit than she ever thought possible.  "This whole thing is cut and dry. The poor bastard died in his sleep.  It wasn't _murder_." He continued, actually rolling his eyes and not seeming to care her shoulders were being weighed down by her forensics bags and the things were heavy as fuck.

"Well," Ella said, keeping her voice chipper and overly sweet as she jumped in place to shift the bags into a better position and hopefully giving the hulk before her the hint to move. "I go where they assign me so if you'll excuse me"

"Fucking waste of time if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't," Ella said brightly, flashing him an innocent smile. "Besides, someone just died.  You might want to think about having some more respect." She stated before shoving her way past the overweight uniform and passing the threshold.  She paused a moment before she disappeared inside. "Did someone notify either Detective Espinosa or Decker?"

The Uniform rolled his eyes and scoffed at the question but she raised her eyebrows and gave him her 'I don't have time for your shit and I grew up in the ghetto buddy so try me' look before he sighed and nodded his assent.

"Dispatch already notified them."

"Thank you," She called out and moved into the house before he could give her more of his two cents about the potential case.  Once she was through the entryway, she paused to assess the activity inside and get her bearings.  She could hear voices coming from the left and she glanced around the corner to see another uniform, most likely one of the Junior Detectives, sitting with who had to be the wife, notepad in hand, taking notes as they talked.  Even from a distance, Ella could tell the woman was distraught and had to resist the urge to drop her bags and give her a hug.  She had a job to do and, as much as she wanted to comfort the other woman, she needed to remain as impartial as possible to evaluate the findings.  It wasn't necessarily a requirement of the job, but she liked to approach a scene unbiased when possible.  She'd rather use her findings to reach a conclusion than to find things to support the answer; at least initially.  It felt more scientific that way though her job often required her to support a theory or conclusion more often than not.

Unfortunately, this whole case has started out as a shit show and she wasn't even one of the first persons on the scene.  The Junior Detectives were initially called to investigate the call and, while they weren't totally incompetent, she was certain they did something to contaminate her scene which only made her job that much harder.  Shoving her annoyances aside, she tore her gaze away from the uniform and the distraught woman and, with some difficulty, she moved to the left through another small doorway which housed a staircase to the left and, down the hall, what appeared to be the kitchen and dining area. 

She paused at the foot of the stairs, looking up them with a sense of dread and she sighed as she adjusted the bags again and started her ascent, careful to maintain her balance as she moved up the stairs.  At the top of the landing was a small hallway with appeared to be three bedrooms.  She could see down the hall where she was needed by the single piece of crime scene tape stuck to the molding around the door.

She stopped just outside the bedroom door and gratefully dropped the bags and unzipped one of the side pockets and dug out her shoe covers and gloves.  She always kept them in an spot that was easily accessible so she could make her initial assessments as quickly as possible.  More often than not, it was her presence that kept even the most seasoned law enforcement professional from messing up the scene.  Making sure the gloves and shoe covers were secure, she ducked under the tape and stepped into the room.

Despite the flurry of activity outside and on the lower level, there were currently no officers in the bedroom.  She took a glance around, the room feeling eerily normal. At most crime scenes, there's more blood splatter and broken objects signifying a death and a struggle of some sort.  From her initial survey of the room, everything appeared normal.  The carpet was immaculately clean; almost like it had recently been installed but from the way it was worn, it had been here for awhile.  The clock on the nightstand declared it was currently 10:17am.  The dresser in the corner with the lamp on top stood in their positions, looking like they had recently been dusted.  The windows were closed and the curtains were drawn about 3/4 of the way, as if to allow some morning light in and not a single panel out of place or appearing unintended.  The closet doors were closed and on the bed was Mr. Sanchez who, without the dried blood trailing from his eyes, ears, and nose, and the evidence flags around the room, could have been mistaken for sleeping late.  A shiver crept down her spine as she evaluated the body and the room a moment, her mind calculating what needed to be done and setting her plan of attack.  Nodding to herself, she stepped back into the hallway and set her camera to the side and dug in her bag for her supplies to check for finger prints and the UV light out of the bag.  She picked up her camera, checked the battery and memory card real quick and moved back into the room.

From what she knew, the Mrs. Sanchez had returned this morning around 5:30am from a conference in San Diego.  The program ran late last night and she stayed long enough for a nap and drove most of the early hours to get home.  She didn't think anything of it when she arrived home and her husband's car was still in the driveway; apparently he often carpooled to work and was often gone by 5am.  She had taken her suitcase to the basement and had started her laundry before picking up some other things around the house before eventually heading upstairs where she found her husband around 7:15.  She had been hysterical, claiming someone had murdered her husband. However, when the uniforms and junior detectives got there, there were no outward signs of a struggle or evidence of a break in.  They had attempted to calm the woman and had started a preliminary review of the house and concluded he passed in his sleep.  Mrs. Sanchez insisted the doors were locked and secured when she got home.  The initial review of the entryways did not indicate signs of a break in.  The windows were all locked and secured.  From all appearances, Mr. Sanchez really did die in his sleep.  Adamant that her husband was murdered, Mrs. Sanchez, called the Chief directly which was how she was called in.  Apparently the Sanchez's played disc golf with the Chief. 

Based on her initial assessment, it appeared the original conclusions could be correct.  She'd have to do a more thorough exam of the outside entryways but nothing appears to have been disturbed.  Ella would have liked to have been here hours ago when the first wave of LAPD got here but there wasn't anything to be done about that now.  She'd have to work with what she had and hope the Juniors hadn't contaminated her crime scene.

She had photographed all relevant points and angles, searched the room for blood splatter with the UV light (only signs of blood were on the bedding and Mr. Sanchez) and was working on dusting for prints on the door when she was broken from her analytical headspace, her body involuntarily jerking and heart racing.  The sudden jolt caused her to lose her balance on the balls of her feet and she landed on her bottom.  It was then her brain registered the sudden "THWAP" from behind her.  Her heart was hammering at the speed of a jackhammer, blood roaring in her ears as she turned in the direction of the noise to see what had startled her and startled again at the sight of a large bird sitting on the tree outside the window.

The bird was huge, larger than any she'd seen before.  It's feathers were black like the shadows, and had a long, thin curved beak. Its feathers looked like velvet and body was slim and sleek looking.  As she tried to get her heartbeat under control, she studied the bird and realized it was a large raven.  She'd never seen a raven in person before but it seemed larger than she'd expect and it definitely wasn't a crow.  Crows had shorter beaks and the tail feathers looked to be all the same length, like a fan.  From what she could see of the folded feathers, they did not appear to be the same length.  She'd seen her fair share of crows visiting the orchards in the suburbs of Detroit to identify a crow but she's never seen a raven up close before. 

With a couple deep breathes to calm herself, her heart rate seemed to be closer to normal and she was about to return to her work but couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.  However, the only thing that could be watching her was the raven. A part of her felt stupid for feeling so anxious about a bird on the other side of the window but the eyes of this raven were intelligent and looked almost ... human.  She couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness and the hair on the back of her neck prickled in response.  She struggled against the urge to close the curtains or open the window and shoo the bird away; she couldn't contaminate her crime scene like that. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away and she found herself struggling against them to remain in the room. Before she could convince herself it was a stupid bird and get her instincts under control, the bird croaked and flew off.  Almost instantly, she could feel her body relax and she couldn't place why the bird felt wrong.

"What do we have Ella?" A voice broke her from her contemplation and she looked up to see Chloe standing on the other side of the crime scene tape, peering into the room.

"Oh, Hey Chloe," She greeted and stood up to move out of the way so Chloe could enter and have her look around.  Before she could get started on what she (hasn't) found, she could hear footsteps in the hallway and couldn't help her smile as the second person joined her.

"Hello, Ms. Lopez." A cheerful voice greeted as the Devil himself ducked under the crime scene tape and surveyed the room before looking at her expectantly.

"Right on time, Lucifer," Ella greeted and she didn't miss the look of relief that flashed on Chloe's face  before the other woman schooled her expression into something more neutral.

"It's been known to happen," He said with a tone of regret as he grinned at her and looked at Chloe, "Detective," he greeted and caught sight of the body on the bed before grimacing.  "Did someone get too kinky or ... "

Chloe rolled her eyes and provided Lucifer a summary of what they knew about Mr. Sanchez's death.  The Devil didn't comment other than to nod in the appropriate places, his gaze periodically glancing at the departed but he didn't offer any comments or make any inappropriate comments.  As Chloe talked, Ella didn't miss the slight frown when the running theory of Mr. Sanchez dying in his sleep was brought up.  When Chloe finished, Ella picked up with her findings ... or lack thereof.

"Based on my initial assessment, I have to agree with the Juniors.  There's no signs of a struggle in the room but the symptoms don't make any sense.  He bled from the eyes, ears, and nose which can be caused by a number of things but when I was taking pictures, I noticed something" Ella said, moving past Chloe and Lucifer to the body and pointing at the victim's chest.  "His left side is swollen which is weird but look" Ella poked lightly at the spot and the skin moved, as if it was a waterbed and there was liquid beneath the surface. "I'd need an internal exam done by the coroner but it appears his heart or several vessels around it may have burst.  And judging from that, the eyes, ears, nose, I'd bet his liver, kidneys, and lungs all show sign of distress."

"Meaning, what?" Chloe asked, frowning at the information and trying to piece it together.

"Well ... it's almost like he was ... scared to death," Ella said, and couldn't hold back her nervousness as she began to justify her thoughts. "I mean, yes I know that this is VERY extreme, but I've heard of people dying from adrenaline rushes.  There was  golfer who hit a hole in one and died right there on the course or there was this woman who died after a man broke into her home and she literally died from being afraid.  It's been known to happen but this ... this is ..." Ella shook her head. "I've never seen or heard of anything like it. And how do you get scared to death, scared so horribly that your whole body goes into a meltdown from the adrenaline high with nothing in the room? This doesn't make sense."

Chloe appeared to be considering her words and Lucifer's expression was carefully guarded but Ella was learning to see behind the mask.  She could tell he was concerned about something.  She frowned and wondered if she should press him and ask what he was thinking or trust him to tell them when it was relevant.  It wasn't like him to hold something back, no matter how inappropriate. As if catching her studying him, Lucifer turned away, his eyes taking in the details of the room, as if looking for something she couldn't see ... or avoiding her stare.

"Could it be a poison?" Chloe asked, frowning as she said the words.  "Like something Professor Carlisle developed or something?"

"We'd need a full tox screen to determine that."  Ella stated, shuddering at the thought of dealing with another Carlisle.   

 "OK.  Let's make sure to rule it out.  If we have someone out there poisoning people again, we need to know about it. How long will it take to run the full tox?" Chloe asked and Ella looked at the body and back at Chloe.

"Well, that depends on what we're looking for.  If we run for common poisons and toxins, a couple hours, maybe a bit more. If what we're looking for isn't something that common, or is masked by Mr. Sanchez's own body chemistry, it could take longer to identify something.  And some poisons ... unfortunately they're virtually untraceable.  It's possible I won't find anything other than too much adrenaline."

"OK.  See what you can do and we'll go from there," Chloe said and sighed and studied Mr. Sanchez again, grimacing at whatever she was thinking.  "I'll talk more with the wife and see if she can provide me with any leads on her husband's activities while she was out of town.  Maybe there was something unusual or he met with someone we can track down in the meantime."

A moment of silence passed between them as the weight of the situation seemed to sink in.  This wasn't a normal case and how can someone die of freight in such a way without anything else to go on? It didn't make sense. The scenarios she was aware of were mostly heart attacks brought on by spikes in adrenaline, usually in individuals who already had cardiac issues. This ... she didn't know what kind of medical issues Mr. Sanchez had, but this seemed wrong. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked realized Lucifer was crossing the room, eyes locked on something.

"Lucifer you have any" Ella trailed off as she looked at the Devil who was glaring out the window.  Ella frowned and adjusted her body so she could see what had captured his attention and saw the raven was back.  Apparently the Devil wasn't a fan of them. Or maybe he just didn't like Poe.  She'd have to ask him about it later.

"Sorry Ms. Lopez," Lucifer said, turning away from the window and looking back at her but she noticed the way he kept the bird in the corner of his eyes, as if he was afraid to turn his back on it. 

"That raven scared the beegees out of me earlier," Ella said, nodding towards the bird in question. For a moment, a concerned look flashed across his face before it was gone and Ella wondered for  a moment if she'd imaged it.  "One minute I was dusting for prints on the door and BAM! There it was.  I've never seen a raven in person before but I didn't think they were that big," She said, gesturing to the bird in question sitting on the branch, seemingly watching them as they talked about it. It was eerie and she found herself wanting to leave the room again, even with two other people with her. There was something about it that just didn't feel right.  

"They usually aren't," Chloe stated, her voice tentative, soft as if she had the same disturbed feeling of the raven Ella has.  Lucifer hummed his agreement and returned his glare to the bird.  The raven croaked again, seemingly displeased and took off, leaving them alone.

A beat of silence settled over the pair and Lucifer straightened, beamed at them and clapped his hands together.

"So, we've got a man who was possibly frightened to death or poisoned, or randomly bled out of his eyes, ears, and nose like something out of a bad horror movie and a distraught wife to question, yes?" Lucifer summed up, his voice overly cheerful as if to distract from the odd bird that had previously been outside.

"Yes ... but you can tone down the giddiness when we talk to Mrs. Sanchez," Chloe answered, giving him a small smile and moved to leave the room to, presumably, go question the wife.  Ella didn't miss the look of surprise that flickered across his face before he followed after her.  Over the last couple cases, Lucifer had been working more with Ella than with Chloe or even Dan. Lucifer didn't seem to shove his way into her business and Chloe had seemed content to let him be.  Apparently, things were getting more to normal and Ella couldn't help the small smile that formed. Part of her wondered if the change in Chloe was due to her.  On his way out of the room, Lucifer paused and turned back to her.

"Ms. Lopez?"

"Yeah Lucifer?"

"Make sure to rule out any possibility of poison," He said, looking momentarily disturbed.

"Of course."

There was a pause and he seemed to be considering his words.  She let him gather his thoughts as she moved away from Mr. Sanchez and examined the window one last time; in case she missed something.  Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she startled slightly when Lucifer's voice broke the silence.  She'd forgotten he was still there.  

"I know there are times you're limited by the departments resources ... in this case ... if resources are an issue, let me know," Lucifer stated and started to duck under the tape but Ella stopped him.

"What gives, Lucifer?" She asked, not dancing around his behavior or the weirdness he's displayed since he found out how Mr. Sanchez died. He'd never offered to supplement her budget before.  Not even during the Carlisle investigation.  She found herself frowning as she realized he knew something.  Or suspected something and he wanted - needed? - her to confirm it.

He froze but didn't answer her for a moment.  She couldn't see his face so she had no idea what he was thinking or what was going through his mind.  Ella had come to realize that the key to reading Lucifer lay in the eyes; in his case, the eyes were truly a window into his soul.  It was disconcerting knowing there was something going on and not being able to see his eyes as he worked through whatever answer he was going to give her.

"I never doubt your abilities, Ms. Lopez, but in this case ... we need to be absolutely certain of how he died." He stated, and turned his head around to look at her.  His expression was guarded, resolute, and behind it all, begged her not to push him right now.  She knew that look well for she'd seen it many times over the course of the last week when she'd questioned him relentlessly about everything she thought she knew and believed.  She also knew that if it was important, that when it counted, he'd tell her.

She nodded her understanding and he gave her a small smile before leaving the room and joining Chloe in whatever questioning they were up to.  Alone again, Ella sighed and mentally went through her checklist and continued her processing of the scene.  She needed to wrap up here so she could get back to the lab and the coroner could have the body.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone, this is the last "set up" chapter before everything gets rolling. I apologize for the slightly unplanned delay - originally I wanted to have this up on Friday but Lucifer and Chloe were not cooperating. They kept wanting to fight and that's not a direction I wanted to come back from. I finally got them back to where I wanted them to be and I hope everyone will be pleased with this one. Chapter Five is where things get really interesting :)

Chloe turned away from the victims wife with an air of frustration and moved out of the room.  Once out of view, she sighed and hung her head, hands on her hips.  Lucifer could tell she was weighing her options and getting a grip on her frustration.  He'd seen a similar look on her face when the Spawn was being particularly troublesome.  Come to think of it, he recognized it from a few of his actions as well but that was neither here or there.

"She's not going to tell us anything," Chloe concluded as she looked up at him and then away, as if the answers would lie in the home's crown molding or knick knacks. "she's too distraught."

"I could ... " Lucifer paused, not sure if he should bring up his ability to make humans talk and pull out their hidden desires.  While the Detective hadn't totally avoided it (after the initial couple of days) and didn't automatically flinch or back away when he approached her (after about two weeks), she had seemed content to maintain this new form of vague acceptance and ignoring the (literal) devil in the room.  She was taking things rather well, to be honest, but she had asked for space and time to process and, while she hadn't _asked_ for him to omit all things celestial from her presence ... he got the distinct feeling that's what she wanted most of all.  "try talking to her," He finished softly, glancing uncertainly in her direction, steeling himself for a panic attack or a celestial breakdown.  He knew she was past the point of falling into a drooling mess of psychosis but he wasn't confident she would accept a display of his abilities ... even if it was a tame one.

She looked away from her pondering and studied him a moment, her teeth worrying at her lip as she considered his offer.  He could see the conflict in her eyes and he waved a dismissive hand.

"Forget I said anything, Detective," He said hurriedly, finding himself moving out of the room before he even processed wanting to.  The house suddenly felt too small and he needed to get away.  Funny, he thought it would be the detective running away.  Who was the big bad monster now?

He couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped his throat as he left the house, a couple uniforms giving him a glance but none making any move to follow or engage him.  He stepped off the porch and rounded the house into the side yard and leaned against the large tree, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out his flask, taking a long pull before replacing it. 

"Lucifer," a voice croaked from above and, with a curse, stepped away from the tree and looked up to see the large raven from earlier looking down at him.

"Matthew," He greeted grimly, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, taking a long drag that did more to calm his frazzled nerves than the alcohol had. "Still acting as Morpheus' errand boy?" While not entirely clear on the whole story (and frankly, he never particularly cared about it), there was always a part of Lucifer who remained unnerved by the raven's presence.  Matthew was once a human who had died in the Dreaming - the land of Dreams.  How the human became a raven, he did not know, but since his death, Matthew often served as Morpheus' link to the waking world.

"You need to return to the Dreaming," Matthew stated, the birds eyes boring into his.

" _Need?"_ Lucifer asked, incredulous as Matthew nodded its head, seeming satisfied with the choice of wording.  He took another drag on his cigarette and flicked away the ash before turning his gaze back to the raven.  "Well I didn't intend to go there in the first place and I'm not overly fond of moving into other planes.  Morpheus knows where to find me if he so wishes."

Lucifer started to move away and Matthew croaked loudly in response before puffing his feathers in irritation.  Lucifer sighed, dropping the remaining half of his cigarette and snubbing it out with his shoe before turning his attention back to the messenger.

"I'm in the middle of something, as you've seen.  Morpheus can wait."

"Morpheus grows weak.  You never would have been able to leave the Dreaming this morning without it," The raven stated, almost as if it thought one of the Endless could actually contain the Devil if he wanted. 

"Oh really?" Lucifer asked, knowing hellfire was dancing in his eyes.  He could feel his blood boiling with it.  "I seem to recall trapping Morpheus in hell once."

The raven had no response to that and Lucifer couldn't help the smug smile. 

"Lucifer?" He turned away from the raven and faced the Detective as she moved across the yard and towards him.  Matthew croaked once and took flight.  Lucifer watched him go for a moment, certain the Raven had delivered its message and would return to his master. He turned his attention back to the Detective who was evaluating him with an uncertain look in her eyes. "Will it hurt her?" She asked and he couldn't help the "what?" that escaped his lips in his momentary confusion. 

"Your weird ... the desire thing," She asked, looking uncomfortable as she spoke.

"Detective, I will not do anything against your desire nor what you are comfortable with." He stated simply and sighed. "I should not have suggested it."

"No, you're right.  It's just ... I don't know.  I'm being stupid." She stammered and sighed.  "I never really thought about it before.  But it doesn't hurt her right?"

"Absolutely not!" He said, annoyance flaring at the suggestion he'd willingly hurt another who didn't deserve it.  He had to take a moment to control the fires that burned at the edge of his annoyance, knowing it would not help his case if he let his anger get the better of him.  "You lot are full of secrets you are just bursting to share. Some are minds are stronger than others but in the end, you all want to share your darkest desires, no matter how bizarre."

"But it doesn't always work, right? I mean, it doesn't work on me ... that's what you said before,"

"You are one of a kind, Detective," he stated and, when it was clear she wasn't satisfied with that response, he continued.  "The odds of me running into two such individuals within the same century, let alone the same millennium, are so infinitely small it's not worth calculating."

Chloe seemed to be considering his words and he internally begged her not to ask why she was different.  While they had talked about many of the events that had transpired since their partnership began, he hadn't gotten around to breaking the miracle news yet. He wasn't sure how she would take it and he wasn't sure it was even relevant in her perspective.  It would bring up a slew of questions he did not, and would never, have the answers to.  Additionally, he did not think she'd take too kindly to his running theory.  This was not the time nor the place to have that discussion and part of him regretted not telling her about it sooner. 

"Okay," Chloe stated, pulling him from his thoughts and he gave her a questioning look as she continued to look slightly uncertain.  "I need to make some progress on this case and ... if you can help calm her enough to talk to us, it would be a big help."

Lucifer couldn't help the answering grin.

"Is this a favor, Detective?" Lucifer asked, and he could tell Chloe knew he was kidding from the exasperated look she gave him as she pointed a stern finger at him.

"Don't make me regret this," She told him seriously and he laughed as they moved their way back into the house.

It took less than 10 seconds for Lucifer to get the woman to pour out her soul to them.  She told them of her longing to be a dancer and how she settled on being a corporate marketer married to a general contractor.  She loved her life, and her husband, but she always regretted not pursuing dance when she was younger - she'd have made a lovely Odette you know.  She told them of her husband's friends (the ones she approved and disapproved of) and confessed to shop lifting that one time she was 15 and feeling adventurous. 

All in all, they got some leads to run down and Chloe seemed happier for it.

They left the house, side by side, as Chloe glanced over her notes from the conversation with Mrs. Sanchez, an easy silence settling between the pair.  As they moved away from the house and to the street, Chloe paused beside her car and grabbed Lucifer's arm. He glanced down at her hand and back up to her, studying the anxious look in her eyes.

"I know things have been weird between us lately,"

"Detective, you don't have to"

"Yes, I do." She cut him off and let go of his arm and squeezed his hand briefly before pulling away. "I had a lot to think about and I'm sorry I pushed you away while I was trying to figure out how my world still made sense where my partner and best friend was the actual Devil, and God and Heaven and Hell and _demons_ are all real.  I mean, what does that say about me that my best friend is the Devil?" She shook her head and he wanted to respond to that but she cut off his comment about how good her taste actually was with a wave of her hand and continued,  "And while I was trying to figure out how all of that fit into how I saw the world, I lost sight of the one thing that really mattered." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath before looking directly into his eyes, her expression all seriousness.

"I told you once that despite what you claimed to be, I didn't see you as the Devil or a monster and I'm sorry I didn't keep my word."

"Detective"

"No, Lucifer," She shook her head.  "I _know_ you and it shouldn't have mattered that everything you tried to tell me didn't sink in.  You're my partner and, more importantly, my _friend_ and I abandoned you and I'm sorry." 

Silence fell between them and Lucifer had to swallow against the lump of emotion that unexpectedly blocked his throat.  He coughed once to clear it and studied her a moment, taking in the wet eyes and the hopeful expression and realized she thought he was angry with her indifference.

"Detect... _Chloe_ , if there's one thing in my life that I have a lot of, it is time and I was working my way to _showing_ you the truth but things didn't work out as either of us would have liked.  I do not, and have not, ever blamed you for needing your space."

"I'm still sorry,"

"You needn't apologize," He stated firmly and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Will you just accept my apology so we can move on?"

"Fine," He stated with an air of mild irritation and Chloe beamed at him.

"Now that that's settled," She stated, holding up her notepad. "Want to help me run down Mr. Sanchez's whereabouts this weekend and question some of his acquaintances?"

"You mean tag along as your devilishly handsome partner and help speed up the questioning?"

"That's not what I meant," She muttered, giving him a stern look and he grinned before moving over to the passenger side of her car.  "And no breaking the rules!" She added as he opened the door.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"You humans and your _rules_." He said as they both slid into the car and closed the doors.  As Chloe inserted the key in the ignition and put the car in drive, he couldn't help but grin as they pulled away from the house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if the characterization of Matthew is off. During my research, not much came up about him other than being a human turned raven and being Morpheus' messenger. As always, all other mistakes and errors, etc are all mine.


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later

She couldn't help the yawn that escaped as she closed her eyes for a moment, the lids feeling like lead weights.  Her mind was hazy but focused and if she could just lay her head down for a moment and catch a quick catnap than she could push through with a new vigor. The last few nights have been rough ones with long hours at the lab processing evidence on the Sanchez case, harassing the coroner to do his thing, and getting all the samples and tests cataloged, reviewed, and ordered.  The whole thing was a shit show and the Chief had made it a point at least twice a day to ask about the progress as if that would make all the gerbils in the lab equipment run faster.  Additionally, when she did manage to get home and get to bed, her dreams have been weird of late.  She can never quite remember them but she wakes up with her heart pounding and sheets drenched in sweat. 

If she could just ... her head began to slowly loll to the side and she snapped her eyes open, sitting upright and groaning as the dim light stabbed at her eyes.  She reached up, arms overhead and stretched her shoulders and back out with the movement and then lowered her arms and looked back at the Google search results still displayed on her computer.

She blinked at the screen for a moment, trying to remember what it was she had been searching the internet for when the memory clicked into place and she leaned forward, hand covering the house as she scanned the hits, occasionally clicking a link of interest, scanning the words on the screen and either printing or discarding it as irrelevant and moving on.

After obtaining about 10 seemingly relevant results, she opened a word document and began to summarize the time line, frowning as she read the details closer and putting things in date order.             

  1. August 2 , 2017 - Reno, Nevada;
  2. November 28, 2017 - Paris, France;
  3. January 26, 2017 - Quebec, Canada;
  4. March 5, 2018 - Kansas City, Missouri;
  5. April 21, 2018 - Shibuya, Japan;
  6. May 31, 2018 - Lake Placid, New York;
  7. June 18, 2018 - Mumbai, India;
  8. July 6, 2018 - Sterling Heights, Michigan;
  9. July 31, 2018 - Cardiff, Wales;
  10. August 10, 2018 - Los Angeles, California - Mr. Sanchez



Seeing Sterling Heights, Michigan on the list caused a twist in her heart.  The city wasn't much more than 15-20 minutes northeast of Detroit and she had a couple friends who had moved from the inner city to the smaller suburban one.  She hoped her friends were safe from whatever this case was.  She forced herself out of the musing and shoved down the pang of familiarity to look at the cases objectively.  Dates and locations noted above.  All were different ages; the man in Reno was in his late 50s. Shibuya a young teenager. Different races, genders, some young, some old, some inbetween.  Nothing in common other than they all died in their sleep with unusual or no cause of deaths noted.  The Quebec woman was noted as having unusually high amounts of adrenaline and an overdose or substance abuse was suspected but not confirmed.  She did a quick Facebook search to see if she could connect any of the deceased to a common place but either the profiles were not public, were too common of a name, or nothing that jumped out on her quick check.  She made notes and figured Chloe or one of the other detectives could follow up and do a more thorough search with her initial findings. 

She took a long drink of her coffee, bobbing her head along as Panic! at the Disco sang about needing to have High Hopes and finished cleaning up her findings to take to Chloe and mentally ordering her to do list for the case and things she needed to follow up on and -

"Hey, Ella,"

The sudden voice pulled her abruptly from her thoughts, causing her to almost jump out of her chair, heart in her throat as she spun the chair around to face the intrusion. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," Chloe's apologetic voice broke through the fight or flight response and she could feel herself starting to relax, pulse no longer pounding in her ears as she breathed for a moment and waved a dismissive hand.

"No problem, it happens," She said, nodding her head towards her screen before turning her full attention back to Chloe. "I was just summarizing everything I had so far for you if you want, I can go over it all with you and give you the official stuff later," Ella offered, grinning at her, excited to share what could be the other cases with her friend and - favorite - colleague.

"I was actually going to ask you if you had anything yet.  I don't like to keep asking you but you know how the Chief is being with this one.  I've been questioning Mr. Sanchez's friends, family, coworkers and associates with Lucifer for the last two days and no one has anything bad to say about him and no one seems to have seen him after his wife left for the conference," Chloe said shaking her head slightly and letting out a frustrated breathe before she looked hopefully at Ella.  "Did you find anything?"

"Well ... nothing concrete.  So far the tests are not showing any toxins or poisons but I'm still looking into tests and doing a second pass.  The coroner _promises_ his results will be in tomorrow morning," Ella couldn't help the eye roll at that one and continued on with her findings and status, "but his preliminary findings seem to agree with what we already know.  Mr. Sanchez appears to have died in his sleep of some kind of extreme cardiac event that caused his heart to explode and one of his lungs to collapse.  He also burst some blood vessels and veins in his face which only caused the bleeding from his ears, eyes, and nose to be worse than they might have been otherwise." Ella paused for a moment, a yawn escaping her throat and she blinked away the wetness that started to gather in her eyes. "Sorry, I've had some late nights.  Anyways, there's no evidence of track marks or other signs of substance abuse.  For all purposes, there's nothing to explain the off the chart amount of adrenaline in his system or the extreme body reaction.  All in all, a pretty gruesome way to go."

Before she could continue and tell Chloe about the other possible cases, Lucifer waltzed into the lab, somehow managing to balance three coffees in one hand, before passing one off to Chloe, Ella, and keeping the last one for himself.  Ella couldn't stop the grin of thanks that crossed her lips as she took a sip and was unable to help the moan that escaped her throat.

"How did you know?!" She asked, taking another sip of the hot beverage as the taste of whip cream, hot coco, and a dash of nutmeg, hazel, and a light trace of mint danced across her taste buds.  She couldn't help but moan again at the flavor.  She hadn't had a hot chocolate this good since she left Michigan.  She needed to find out where this magic dealer was since the nondescript cup gave nothing away.

Lucifer grinned at her but didn't give her any other indication he'd heard her question. 

"I've learned not to ask," Chloe said, taking a sip from her drink before picking up where they had left off.  "So, there's nothing else for us to get a lead on?"

"I didn't say that," Ella said, turning grinning at her and launching into her explanation of how, when she was waiting for the equipment to finish processing it's confirmation tests, she had turned her attention to Google to see if there was something they could use as a lead. "I thought that maybe if we had another cause or some wacky prescription side effect to go off of that maybe we could look for something more specific.  So I started some search queries with some variations of the findings and I"

"You got a hit?!" Chloe asked, looking excited for the first moment since this case began.

"I got more than one," Ella said, proudly.  "I have _ten_."

"Ten in Los Angeles?" Chloe asked, looking surprised and Lucifer also seemed to have perked up at that news.

"That's the weird thing," Ella said, turning back to the computer to glance at the list and the date ranges.  "All range from the last year with increasing frequency but they're all over the globe. _Literally_.  The United States, Japan, Europe, Canada ... it appears to be mostly random and there's no obvious connection other than dying in their sleep in unusual circumstances."

Chloe frowned as if she was considering what Ella had told her. 

"I'm not sure how helpful that's going to be if we can't find a connection," Chloe concluded and sighed. "But it's worth exploring, it's not like we have anything else.  I'm going to take another stab at Mr. Sanchez's office secretary and the friends he was suppose to meet Saturday night.  Can you get that list to Dan and see if he can find any connections?"

"Got it," Ella said, eyes closing as she took another drink of her hot chocolate, savoring the flavors and picturing the cool fall nights around bon fires.  She only needed the shot of Rum Chata or Godiva Liquor to really make it like the ones back home.  "Dude, I _reall_ y need to know where you got this," Ella stated as she looked over at the Devil.  "Then again, maybe I don't. I'll probably go broke," She stated as she reconsidered her words.  It probably was for the best she didn't know where in LA he had found the best hot chocolate ever. 

Before Lucifer could respond, Chloe, smiling at the interaction between the two, turned to Lucifer. "I'm going to see if I can schedule some additional follow ups with some of Mr. Sanchez's friends.  See if anything has come to mind after we last talked, that kind of thing.  It's up to you if you want to hang around and question them again.  I don't know if I'll get anything or not," She stated with a helpless shrug and Lucifer studied her a moment and glanced at Ella, his expression unreadable but he seemed to be studying her.

"Actually, Detective, I've been neglecting Lux the last couple of days, if you need anything"

"I'll call," Chloe said, giving him a nod and turning to leave the lab. "Ella, if you find anything else out"

"I'll let you know ASAP." Ella called and Chloe left the lab, most likely to make some phone calls.  Ella watched her go a moment and turned back to her computer, reviewing her report.

"Ella, are you alright?" A tentatively, concerned voice asked and Ella couldn't help but look surprised at the inquiry.

"Yeah, I'm good," Ella responded, biting back another yawn before it escaped and belied her response.  "I've had a few late nights over this one.  No biggie.  I'll be good after a good night sleep," she finished her response with another drink of the hot chocolate and she turned back to him.  "OK, I _have_ to know.  How did you know?"

He chuckled in response and grinned at her in that seductively proud way only he could pull off.

"You may have drunkenly mentioned the shitty hot chocolate in Los Angeles at one point in the last couple of weeks and how it could never compare to the hot chocolate from Michigan."

"Oh, man!" Ella groaned, feeling heat rise in her cheeks as his eyes danced with amusement.

"It was very enlightening," Lucifer stated and Ella waved a dismissive hand in his direction as she turned back to her computer and started rereading her summary of findings, including the timeline, to finalize for Chloe and Dan.

"Ella, you mentioned the other deaths.  Can I see the list?" He asked and Ella motioned for him to come closer and he dragged a chair over with him as he gracefully sat down and read over her shoulder as she worked. 

After a few moments of silence, she found herself watching him from the corner of her eyes.  He hadn't moved from his spot, staring at the dates, names, and places, as if trying to commit them all to memory or looking for a connection she couldn't see.

"Does this mean anything to you?" Ella found herself asking.  "I keep getting the feeling you know something about what is going on." The words were out and Ella found herself wanting to rewind and pull them back.  Lucifer was silent, his expression unchanging.  If it wasn't for the slight twitch in the corner of his eye or the way his jaw clenched just slightly she might have thought he hadn't heard her.  "Shit, I mean ... I didn't ... I wasn't accusing you or anything I just thought it seemed like"

"I ... there could be a connection to something else but I'm not sure if the two things are related or just coincidental." Lucifer responded, sighing as he leaned away from her and back into the chair, Ella found herself scanning over the text on the screen again, trying to see what he might have seen.

"Is there anything I should be looking for to confirm or deny this connection?" Ella asked him and he shook his head. 

"No, I don't think you can help," He stated, his tone resigned as if he was doing something unpleasant.

"Oh," Ella said, disappointment filling her at being dismissed and unable to help so easily.  If he'd open up and tell her, she could probably help.  She had skills, she's helped solved more than her fair share of cases.  She just needed to know what to look for. 

"It's nothing to do with you, Ella," Lucifer stated, as if picking up on her mood and she couldn't help but feel surprised that he had.  Apparently he'd been picking up on more than her longing for a great hot chocolate.  "I think I need to talk to my sister and see what she knows about these deaths," He concluded and Ella couldn't help the burst of excitement at the mention of his sister.

"Ray Ray?"

"Yes," He said, sounding uncertain and Ella couldn't help but feel like he'd burst her balloon.  She'd been wanting to see Ray Ray again, apologize for their last interaction and ask why she never told her the truth.  Ray Ray had been with her for _years_.  After she had gotten over the initial hurt that Ray Ray hadn't told her the truth before, she had began to understand why the angel had let her believe her to be a ghost.   Additionally, Lucifer had explained how humans just didn't handle proof of a celestial being in the flesh very well.  Apparently her easy acceptance was something of a shock to Lucifer.  Regardless, she wanted to apologize to her friend and she hoped she'd visit from time to time now that she knew she wasn't imaginary or some crazy manifestation. 

"You don't sound very happy about that," Ella said, and she couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"It's not that I don't want to talk to Azrael," Lucifer stated simply and sighed. "If this is what I think it is, I don't want her anywhere near this." He explained, looking torn. "But I don't have another way of finding out if these deaths are related or merely coincidental.  Most likely, she was present when they died.  She may know something and not realize it."

"So how do you talk to her?" Ella asked, frowning.  "She always just ... appeared to me."

"I'll send her a prayer," He stated simply.  "If she's not busy, she'll answer it.  If she is, she'll ignore me."

"Wait," Ella said, blinking in surprise. "The Devil _prays_?" She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her throat that turned into a full blown belly laugh, not as hysterical as her realization that she'd taken the Devil to church.  It just sounded so absurd and even though she'd been more than enlightened in the last couple of weeks, this one just flung her for a new loop.

Lucifer looked mildly offended but sighed and let her have her moment.  The fact he didn't launch into an immediate rant was a good sign.  When he was truly irritated, he ranted about preconceived notions, Dante, the Bible, and how satanists always got it wrong. 

"Ok, Ok.  I'm sorry," She said, getting her laugh under control and drinking from her hot chocolate.  "I just ... I didn't know you would pray,"

He rolled his eyes.

"It's not what you think.  Angels hear prayers that are sent directly to them.  Some get answered, some don't.  It depends on the frequency, volume, and nature of the requests.  It's also how we communicate to each other across distances.  It's not like cell phones were invented at the beginning of time, though Dad must have foresaw the convenience."

"How do you do it? I want to be able to send Ray Ray a message," Ella asked, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"You said she just appeared?"

"Yes, it was always kind of random."

"You probably did pray to her," Lucifer stated with a small shrug.  "You probably didn't know it at the time and, due to her job, you could have projected something to her she didn't get a chance to answer until days or weeks later," He explained and Ella found herself stumped.  Had she prayed to Ray Ray? She didn't think she did.  She only ever remembered praying to the big guy.  But she did remember feeling lonely at times and wishing for her friend.  Her eyes widened in realization. 

"I think I did," Ella whispered and Lucifer gave her a small smile in response. "So, what now?"

"Now, I take my leave so I can call my sister, so to speak," Lucifer stated, standing up from the chair and moving it back to where he had grabbed it from.

"Wait, I want to go," Ella said, glancing back at her report and back to him.  Lucifer sighed in response.

"Ella"

"No, I want to help and I need to talk to Ray Ray," Ella stated. "Just...Just give me a minute to finish this and I'll go with you,"

"Ella, even if she does respond, it most likely won't be immediate, if at all." Lucifer stated, and Ella shook her head in disagreement as she moved her fingers to the keyboard and made a couple corrections and additions to her conclusions.

"She'll answer you," Ella stated, her voice matter-of-fact, firm.  She knew Ray Ray would answer his call.  She didn't know it at the time, but Ray Ray had talked about her mischievous older brother she hadn't seen in a long time.  Ella had thought it was because the ghost couldn't be seen by him but now she knew the truth.  Ray Ray had missed Lucifer probably as much as he had missed her.

"Ella,"

"No," She stated firmly, spinning in her chair and pointing at the chair Lucifer had planned to abandon. "You're going to sit right there while I finish this and then we'll go and contact Ray Ray and she'll answer because you're her brother and she loves you," She stared at Lucifer, looking him into the eyes, eyebrows raised, asking him to challenge her.  It was a version of her street 'I may look small but I can bust a cap in your ass faster than you can count to three if you try me' look.  Lucifer stared back, his expression bored as he studied her.  She didn't know how long they had a stare down for but she found him sighing and nodding his consent and she couldn't help but feel triumph. 

She turned back to her report and took the last drink of her hot chocolate, feeling a pang of sadness the beverage was gone. As she made her corrections, she couldn't help but say "You're going to have to tell me one of these days where you got this from." She paused as she tried to fix the wording of an awkward paragraph and continued "This is probably the best hot chocolate I've ever had."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," He stated and Ella couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Seriously, I won't give up the super secret location.  I just need to know where I can get my hot chocolate fix from,"

Lucifer grinned in response, looking all the more like the cat who caught the canary as he eyed her.

"I made it," He stated simply, his voice smug.

"Well next time I'm at Lux, you'll have to make me another and spike it with some Rum Chata," She stated, going back to her report and Lucifer laughed in response.

"I think that could be arranged," He stated and she turned her attention to her report and putting the finishing touches on it so she could go.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. Here we go. Note: I took a couple small liberties with the geography of Detroit so for those who are also familiar with the City, I did take a couple minor artistic liberties for the sake of the story. For the most part, it's accurate. See end of Chapter Notes.

She was overcome with a sense of home and longing as she stood on the riverwalk, eyes closed, breathing in the smell that was uniquely Detroit.  A unique combination of exhaust, metal, sewer, freshwater, worms, fish, and city.  It was the unique scent of the City after a recent rain and she breathed deep, and couldn't help the small smile that came to her.  She always loved the smell of the City after the rain.  She opened her eyes in time to watch the freighter move further down the river, revealing Casino Windsor across from her.  She turned her head to the left and took in the iconic Ren Cen, its towers stretching to the sky and topped with the letters "GM" marking it the headquarters of one of the Big Three, General Motors.  One of the pride car companies of native Michiganders.

As she took in the feeling of home, a sense of wrongness began to tingle the back of her neck.  For a moment, she frowned, trying to determine what was wrong.  Windsor was across the river, the Canadian side looking as quaint as always; the grittiness of Detroit a stark contrast but a pride of anyone from the area.  She took in the riverwalk, the patches of grass and trees lining the walkway.   Several yards away was the entrance to Hart Plaza.  The sun was in the correct placement for an afternoon in Detroit and it was then that it clicked. 

The city smelled like rain but everything was dry.  She was the only one there.  The Motor City was silent.  _Too_ silent.  There was no one else around her and she could feel her heart rate pick up at the thought.  Even first thing in the morning and late at night, there was traffic noise and people around.  She started to move away from the Ren Cen, and towards Hart Plaza.  Jefferson was always busy and, at that vantage point, she should be able to make out the Joe Louis fist and Cobo Center.  There were always people and traffic around both places.  Decision made, she turned and jogged to the Plaza, the feeling of wrongness getting stronger as she moved away from the Detroit River and into the heart of the City.

She paused at the fountain in the center of Hart Plaza, a metal circle held by two supports.  The disk released water into a basin and she frowned as she looked around.  Hart Plaza was always busy.  There was always some event going on there and it was usually filled with families, business people, and the occasional homeless person.  Today it was empty and she was the only one standing there. Similarly, she could see Jefferson was completely empty.  Not a single car was on the road and it only raised her anxiety. This close to Cobo, the Ren Cen, and the tunnel to Ontario, traffic was a given. 

The hair on the back of her neck began to prickle and she turned, feeling like there was someone behind her but no one was there.  She continued to scan the areas, keeping her eyes on the corners of the surrounding buildings and came up with nothing.

"Your fear tastes exquisite, young one," A disembodied voice said and Ella's heart beat sped up at the words.  She spun around again, trying to make sense of where the voice came from her eyes continued to confirm what her brain already knew.  There was only her.  The world shifted and she was suddenly standing on the streets of LA; the Ren Cen was now the building that housed Lux and the silent streets of Detroit became the screaming streets of LA.  The abruptness caused her to cry out and clasp her hands over her ears, attempting to drown out the noise.

"Ella," A soft voice called out and she shook her head, not able to respond to it.  Her heart continued to hammer in her chest, her pulse throbbing along with it.  She gasped out, suddenly feeling like it was difficult to breath.

"That's it, embrace the fear," The voice said again and she opened her eyes, gasping and moving away, her eyes frantically scanning the area.  Despite the traffic, there were no people around her.  She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her throat as she backed away from the street, her back bumping into a building behind her.

"Ella," The other voice said, more insistent and she looked around again, trying to place it.  It sounded familiar.  Almost safe but she couldn't make out who it was or where it was coming from.

"Help," She managed to choke out, tears blurring her vision as she tried to get a grip on her emotions and think but it was hard, the scene morphed again and the LA street became Jefferson Ave, the Spirit of Detroit standing proudly across from her but it was wrong. It didn't belong here and it made no sense.

"Ella...Ms. Lopez," The soft voice said again, sounding more anxious and insistent.  It was louder than before; clearer and almost like it was closer to her.  She took a couple gasping breathes and attempted to clear her mind when a weight suddenly registered on her shoulder and she gasped, hand flailing in an attempt to smack the weight off of her, eyes widening, heart racing, and blood rushing in her ears as she tried to catch her breath. 

She became aware that her hands were moving frantically around her, and she hit something with a light smack.  She could hear a voice, the safe one, say in an affronted tone "ow" and she turned her head in the direction of it and the relief she felt was so immense she couldn't help the "oh my God" before she flung her arms around the solid body before her, not caring that the gearshift was digging uncomfortably in her side.  She was safe.  Lucifer was with her.

The Devil stiffened in her arms but didn't move away.  She could feel his unease and she ignored it, basking in the feeling of safety after waking to the full blown panic she was experiencing in her dream.  She stayed that way until her racing heart slowed to a more normal rhythm.  She could feel the anxiety coming off of Lucifer in waves and she didn't know if it was because of her dream or the hug.  She knew if circumstances were different, he would have already broken the embrace but his body remained just this side of stiff and she could feel the light movements of his hands as if he was trying to figure out what to do with them and what was appropriate.  She took a deep breath, feeling her emotions settle more and moved away from him. 

"Sorry," She said, giving him a small smile. 

"Are ... are you alright?" He asked her, concern pouring off him in waves as he studied her.

"Yeah that was just...one hell of a dream."

"Do you remember it?" He asked, looking both concerned and apprehensive for her answer as if he dreaded what she would answer.

"I ... no I don't.  I remember I was in Detroit but it was ... it wasn't Detroit?" She couldn't help but word it as a question, frowning as she tried to remember the details but they were quickly fading away from her. "And then it all became LA but it wasn't LA and there was the Spirit of Detroit where it shouldn't be and ... it was ... I don't remember but it just felt _wrong_." Ella finished, shuddering as she finished. 

Lucifer stayed silent, studying her with a pained look in his eyes mixed with concern.  She opened her mouth to brush off his concern but found the words wouldn't come.  There was something in his eyes that told her something was wrong and she couldn't help but feel a moment of panic at the thought.  Before she could react to it, his expression schooled back to a more neutral one.

"It was just a dream," He stated, as if trying to convince himself more than her.

"Yeah ... I've had my share of messed up ones, that's for sure.  I'll be glad when this case is over and I can sleep for a week." She paused, as she took in her surroundings, noting that they were parked in an underground parking garage, presumably Lux's parking garage.  "Oh! We're here," She said, not able to contain the excitement at knowing she was going to be able to talk to Ray Ray again.  "OH! Geeze, sorry I feel asleep on you, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright.  I'm ... glad you're alright," He stated, and she couldn't help but feel like he meant to say something else but changed his mind. 

"Lucifer, it was just a dream," She stated, shaking her head at him and laughing off his concern. "Now come on, we need to talk to Ray Ray," she continued, opening the car door and stepping out as she spoke and she noted that Lucifer followed her lead, watching her over the car as he closed his door and she moved around the car towards the door that led to the inside.

The trip from the parking garage to the penthouse was uneventful and neither spoke.  Lucifer seemed to be pondering something and she was still shaking off the after feels of her fucked up dream.  Once in the penthouse, Lucifer motioned for her to make herself at home and she found herself moving to the couch and sinking into the plush cushions, unable to stop the satisfied sigh that escaped her as she got comfortable.

"So, how does this work?"

"Pardon?"

"Calling Azrael. I know you said you could pray to her, but there has to be more than that? I mean, do you just like think _Hey Ray Ray we need to talk, love Lucifer?_ "

 Lucifer laughed in response, one of his genuine laughs and she couldn't help but relax a little more at the sound.  She was still feeling slightly on edge after the dream and his apparent concern over it, but if he was laughing so freely, he couldn't be that worried.  Maybe she said something outloud that concerned him.  She caught his fond look as he shook his head, as if clearing it a bit, and she couldn't help but feel a bit stupid at the question but she knew he wouldn't hold it against her.

"Bloody hell, no.  It's more like ... well you have siblings.  It's like calling out from another room only the distances are ... longer.  And it can be slightly more annoying since a constant litany can be like ..." He paused, as if trying to describe an experience.

"Like you just want to tell them to go away and leave me alone?"

"Exactly," Lucifer said, grinning at her and she couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie over annoying siblings.

"So, to clarify, can only angels do this? You know, the annoying calling out thing? And does it work for all angels?"

"No and yes." Lucifer stated simply, going to the bar and grabbing a glass and a crystal decanter filled with some kind of amber colored liquor.  He raised a glass in her direction but she shook her head no and watched as he poured himself a drink. As she watched his practiced movements, she considered how to ask her next question and decided to hell with it. She may as well ask while he was distracted by his liquor.

"So, to be clear, I could pray to you?" She asked, and almost immediately after the words left her, he sputtered, coughing as he choked on his liquor and she didn't even register moving from her seat on the couch until she was standing next to him, but he seemed to have recovered enough by the time she got there.  He set the glass down and gave her an incredulous look, a small cough escaping his throat as he attempted to regain composure.

"I'm so sorry," She couldn't help but say and he waved a dismissive hand at her as he coughed one last time and downed the rest of his glass before pouring himself another. Silence stretched between them and she couldn't decide if it was awkward or not.  She tried to think of something else to say to move them out of the rut they had found themselves in and she couldn't think of anything other than that she'd finally crossed a line she didn't know he had drawn.  She looked away from him and out the balcony doors as he took another sip of the liquor, savoring it this time. 

"Theoretically," He said, finally, setting the glass down with a thunk.

"Hu?" She tore her eyes away from the lights across his building and back to him, trying to connect what he was saying. 

"The answer to your question," He stated, gesturing vaguely before taking another sip.  "Theoretically ... yes." He continued, his words hesitant as if he didn't want to talk about this topic further.

"You don't have to"

"No, it's fine.  You just ... you surprised me." He stated, and gave her a fond smile. "You shouldn't by now, but you did." He took another long pull from his glass and set it down before turning back to her. "Before ... definitely.  When I was ruling Hell, I learned to drawn it out.  Those who typically pray to 'Lucifer' tend to be nonexistent or those I wouldn't want to hear anyway.  When I first came to LA, when I didn't have my wings, no.  But now ... theoretically, you _could_ but I'm not certain if I would actually receive it."

Ella nodded her understanding and Lucifer finished his glass and moved away from the bar and stood in the center of the room.  He grinned at Ella and rubbed his hands together before holding them in front of his chest, palms together in the form of a traditional prayer pose.

"Now, shall we try Azrael?" He asked and Ella couldn't help but grin as he closed his eyes. 

She moved out from the bar and sat on one of the stools, watching him.  He looked relaxed, calm.  Almost serene as he stood there, praying to his sister.  For a long while, nothing happened and she couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment.  Maybe Azrael wouldn't answer.  She was so certain she would that she didn't think to take Lucifer's warning to heart.  Of course Azrael would answer.  Ray Ray didn't talk about any other family other than her lost older brother who was the center of her world.  She thought everything of him and told her crazy stories about the mischief they would get into.  How he would humor her whims and let her tag along on many of his adventures.  But then he started to get distant.  Cold even.  Something had changed within him and then he was gone.  She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought.  Ella found herself wishing she could have done more to help Ray Ray reunite with her brother sooner.  She shouldn't have assumed it was a ghost thing.  She should have asked more questions and tried to help her.  But the past was the past and she could help reunite them now.  If Ray Ray would answer the call.

Just when she thought it wouldn't be tonight, there was a woosh of air displacement and, out of nowhere, stood Ray Ray, the young girl she had at one point thought of a ghost. She looked a lot like the last time she'd seen her, only her eyeliner seemed darker and she wore a dark robe and, behind her shoulders, were a pair of tawny grey wings.  They were large and beautiful but she noted that they were probably half the size of Lucifer's.  And they didn't seem to glow like his did.  They looked closer to large ostrich wings than Lucifer's swan.  Ella couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face when she saw her friend.

"Lucifer, I really don't have the time.  It's been really busy with Death being awol and"

"Ray-Ray?" The words escaped her before she realized she even said them.  Large Brown eyes widened in shock as she registered Ella in the room. 

" _Ella_?!" The angel all but screeched in a panic.  As suddenly as the other girl had appeared, the wings disappeared and she moved, taking several steps to her brother and smacking him, which earned her an indignant "ow" before she continued, "You could have warned me!" She yelled at him, giving Ella an anxious look.

"She knows," Lucifer stated, rubbing his arm where Ray Ray had hit him, and the smaller angel froze as the words sunk in.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ella couldn't help but blurt out, feeling tears sting her eyes, sliding off her spot on the bar stool and moving closer to the girl who, at one point, had been her only friend.  While she knew, logically, why Azrael hadn't told her the truth, it still stung.  She had thought she was over it but seeing Ray Ray before her, seeing her _wings_ , she felt hurt all over again.

"I couldn't," Azrael said, her voice cracking and regret in her eyes.  "I'm glad you know though." She said, turning to give Lucifer a glare, as if she was scolding him for doing something wrong. Lucifer just turned away to move back to the bar, presumably to pour himself another drink, neither acknowledging or denying her silent reprimand.

Ella couldn't help but grin and give her friend a hug.  She sighed in relief as Azrael returned it, glad to know she wasn't crazy or seeing things or the weird girl who saw a ghost.  She could live with the knowledge of having two angels in her corner.  Granted, not everyone would probably feel the same being the friend of both the Angel of Death and the Lord of Hell but she doesn't judge based on titles or what others tell her.  She builds her faith and her terms and draws her own conclusions on what she sees, experiences, and believes and she has enough evidence to know that being friends with these two is not as scary as it would seem on paper.  Underneath the divinity and otherness, they're both big dorks, just like her.

Azrael broke the hug and gave Ella an apologetic look as she turned her attention back to her brother who was sipping at his glass, watching them both.

"As nice as it is to see you both, I wasn't joking.  Things have been busy and I don't have a lot of time to just hang out," Ray Ray said, sounding slightly exasperated as she took in Lucifer's relaxed stance.  "You said it was important."

"It is," Lucifer said, setting his glass down and moving to rejoin them. "I need to know if you were there when a series of deaths occurred." Lucifer glanced at Ella, looking uncertain for a moment before he returned his gaze to Azrael. "Morpheus has been in contact with me."

Ella just managed to hold back the near automatic "Morpheus?" and remain silent.  She'd ask her questions later when Lucifer could explain things to her more clearly.  Ray Ray clearly needed to get back to her job and she had forced herself into this meeting and didn't want to prove to him why he should have just ditched her at the station.  Ray Ray glanced at Ella and back at Lucifer a moment, and Ella couldn't read the look in her eyes.  There was something like fear and concern there.

"Ella, I don't want to offend you," Azrael said, giving Ella an uncertain look before turning her attention back to Lucifer "But should we be talking about this now?" She asked and Lucifer sighed but he didn't say anything else and Ella couldn't help but fill the silence.

"Hey, I'm not offended," Ella said, holding back a yawn as she said the words, her eyes starting to feel gritty.  She needed to make sure her friend knew it was ok to be honest around her, though it hurt a bit to know that Ray Ray may have chosen to withhold the information from her. 

"I suspect if she doesn't find out now, she'd be finding out sooner or later," Lucifer stated and gestured towards the couch.  

Azrael gave him a hard stare, as if she was doubting the wisdom of his decision and glanced over at Ella who feared her friend would shut her out now that she was finally in the know.  She could feel her heart start to break at the thought of knowing the truth could break her long friendship.  She struggled to keep the tears from stinging her eyes.  She wouldn't cry in front of them.  If Azrael didn't want her here, she'd ... she'd be ok.  Lucifer would fill her in later though that was little comfort to the thought of her friend no longer deeming her to be completely trustworthy.

Azrael sighed and nodded her consent, moving to take a seat on the couch.  Ella followed, sinking into the cushions and suppressing a yawn from escaping as she shifted to a more comfortable position. Lucifer sat across from Azrael, the two angels focused more on each other than the human at the other end of the couch.

"What has Morpheus told you?" Azrael asked, her voice hesitant as if she was afraid of the answer.

"Morpheus first came to me for help a couple of weeks ago," At Azrael's look he rolled his eyes.  "It's not the first time he's asked for help and I'm bloody _retired_.  There are others out there who could help," He grumbled and, at Azrael's unimpressed look he sighed and waved a hand in dismissal. "He didn't explicitly ask until about a week ago so there's not much I could have done in that time anyway," He countered but Azrael didn't look convinced. 

"There is a being attacking the Endless.  Morpheus says it started with Death and has moved into the Dreaming.  This being, the Darkness, as Morpheus called it, has taken over Death's realm and is growing stronger.  Morpheus fears asking help from his siblings and allowing it to more easily access one of their realms due to the interconnection of the Endless themselves. It is possible if it succeeds in taking over both the Dreaming and Death, the rest will follow.  Matthew has said Morpheus is growing weak and there have been a series of deaths that seem to be related to the dreaming but I can't confirm or deny it."

"That's more than I know," Azrael stated after a beat.  "I can tell you there is definitely something weird going on.  Death has been AWOL for months.  Usually when she's going to be unavailable, she gives me some kind of warning but this was very abrupt.  I haven't seen her in years either so I can't really say what state she's been in before she disappeared."

The words Death, Morpheus, and Darkness floated through her head, making her heart pound.  They used those words as pro-nouns as if Death was a person, not a concept and Morpheus, the Sandman, was a real thing.  The Darkness ... she felt a full body shudder as she thought of the word and couldn't help the yawn that escaped her.  Her eyes were starting to water and feel heavy.  She blinked to clear her mind, to stay focus on what was going on around her but her brain was getting fuzzy. She could hear them talk, the rumble of the familiar voices was comforting.  She caught onto the implication that their recent case was somehow related to the Endless, Morpheus, Death, and Darkness but her brain wasn't working anymore to make sense of it all.

"Ella," A concerned voice said, and she hummed in response, not able to make her mouth work. She realized her eyes had closed and her body was relaxing into the couch.  She could feel herself losing her awareness of the world around her.

"Ella," A second voice said, this one was more panicked, younger. 

She could feel a pressure on her upper arms, as if someone was gripping her, but she couldn't make her body move to swat it away.  Her brain continued to grow fuzzier and the pressure slowly began to fade away, as if it wasn't there.

"Ella, wake up," The first voice said again, the accent different from the first one.  The voice, while seeming to move further away seemed closer than the second, younger one.  She wanted to wake up.  She wanted to know about the Endless and the Darkness and Morpheus and Death but she was so tired ...

"Ella, Ella, Ella" The two voices kept saying, the voices getting further away as the last dregs of consciousness faded away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ducks the thrown objects and holds out spoons and gallons of ice cream and chocolaty goodness in offering* I know! I know! Horrible, Horrible ending! I'd be rioting if I was you so please stick with me, I promise it's not over yet!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! I had wanted to get this one up sooner but life happened. We're almost there!

"Ella! Ella," He called, shaking the younger woman slightly, trying to wake her up but no avail.  She was out cold, lost to the world of dreaming but he refused to give her up so easily.  "Come on Ella, wake up!" He urged, shaking her slightly harder this time, her head lolling forward to her chest but no other response came from her.

"Lu," He heard his sister call out, her voice soft, breaking slightly at the end and he refused to acknowledge the emotion in it.  The sadness.

No.  No no no no.  He wouldn't let this be.  She was just tired.  She said she was having some late nights and some trouble sleeping.  Her human body was exhausted and she wasn't ... she couldn't be.

"Lu," She said again, her hand on his arm and he loosened his grip on Ella, hanging his head in defeat.

"You won't take her," He said, his voice sounding rough to his ears and he had to work to swallow around the lump forming in his throat.  He didn't know if he was directing the words to his sister or his father but in the moment, it didn't matter which took note.  She was fine, he told himself.  She was just asleep.  She wouldn't end up like...he tore himself away from those thoughts, unable to go down that path.

"Lu, we'll ..." Ray Ray sniffed, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. "We'll figure this out.  She'll be ok." His sister said, squeezing his arm before letting go.  She shifted behind him and from the corner of his eyes, he saw her hand move past him to brush the hair back from the younger girl's face and positioning her head in a better angle. "But first, we should-" Azrael stiffened, her eyes widening at something over his left shoulder. 

He turned his head and instantly, all hopelessness left him.  He didn't remember moving from his spot before Ella and crossing the room.  He didn't remember grabbing the other being and slamming it into the wall.  He didn't remember changing his form and he didn't remember when he called the fires of hell to him but he did remember the feeling of pure, un-adultered rage and the sudden smell of brimstone and smoke in the air.  He couldn't pull Ella from the dream realm but _he_ could and if the other refused... 

" _Lucifer_!" A shocked voice yelled, from somewhere behind him and he barely registered it as he started into the starry eyes of Morpheus, the fires of hell reflecting back at him.

" _You,_ " He managed to say, shoving the master of the dreaming further into the wall for emphasis.  "You'll release her," He stated, his tone indicating there was no room for argument or further discussion.  He could feel the flames in his eyes blazing hotter with his command.

"Lucifer-" The other man said, his voice eerily calm and something like pity registered which only added fuel to the fire. 

"Morpheus, you will release her," He commanded, the fire in his veins burning with the desire to consume. His grip on the beings robes tightened and the smell of brimstone and sulfur intensified as he stared down the other man, resisting the urge to let loose the fires of hell. 

"I can't," The being said, his voice sounding sad, almost apologetic and it glanced behind him and towards Ella who was lost to the dreaming.

"Can't?" He laughed, feeling an odd combination of manic and calm at the same time.  He didn't have the means to pull Ella from the Dreaming on his own, but he'd be damned if he would let the one being who could give up so easily. "Oh, you _will_." He said, mind turning over all the ways he could torture Dream of the Endless if he refused and Ella died.  He would have his fun with this one.  He'd see to him personally.  Staying in hell may even be worth it to see his agony until the end of days. 

"Lu-Lucifer?" A small voice said and he turned his attention momentarily away from Morpheus and towards his younger sister, who remained kneeling on the couch, next to Ella, one of her hands on the girl's pulse, her eyes staring at him, wide with fear, her mouth opened in shock as she stared at him.  Behind the fear, he could see her trying to plead with him, wanting to be the voice of reason but too afraid to speak up.  Looking at his sister, he felt something inside of him break and the rage that was threatening to consume him was gone.  He cast one last glare at Morpheus, hell fire burning in his eyes before he let that go too and resumed his other form.  He could tell the moment he returned to "normal" because Azrael seemed to relax a fraction in response. 

He couldn't suppress the growl that left his throat as he shoved Morpheus one last time into the wall, a chunk of dry wall crumbling around them before letting go and pacing away from the Endless, needing to do something to keep his rage in check.

"I'm ... " Morpheus hesitated as he rolled his shoulders, wincing at the movement.  He couldn't help but feel smug satisfaction at the being's discomfort.  "I'm sorry for what has happened to your friend." He said, shooting Lucifer a tentative glance before moving over to Ella.  He placed a hand on her forehead and shook his head.  "But there is nothing _I_ can do for her now."

"There has to be something," Azrael said, stroking Ella's hair as the girl let out a whimper, voicing her distress from whatever dream she was trapped in.

Lucifer winced at the noise Ella made, fists clenching.  He had to fight to keep his eyes normal.  He could feel his rage simmering just under the surface.  Part of him wished Maze were here so he could take his aggression out on something but, as Dr. Linda had been imposing on him, he needed a "healthier" outlet for his anger.  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as Dr. Linda had told him to do.  It marginally helped but didn't do much.  It wouldn't take much for him to snap.  But something Morpheus said rang in his mind.  The way he had stressed "I".  As if there wasn't something _he_ could do but someone else ...

"You're implying there's something _we_ can do?" Lucifer asked, turning sharply to look Morpheus in the eyes.  The being was silent for a moment, as if considering his response.

"I've been speaking with Destiny." He stated, as if that answered Lucifer's question.  Before he could press more, Ella let out another noise of distress and Azrael gave him a panicked look.

"We need to get her to a hospital or something," She said, her eyes frantic as she looked at him.  Forgetting Morpheus, Lucifer moved to stand by his sister, assessing Ella's condition as he moved.  The younger woman was pale, far paler than normal.  Her breaths were coming out in short puffs and she continued to make little noises of distress.  He brushed Azrael's hand away, mid stroke as she'd been doing, and placed his fingers on her neck, feeling her pulse racing far too quickly beneath his fingers. 

"Lu, we need to ... she doesn't have much time," Azrael said, tears falling from her eyes as she stroked Ella's cheek. 

He gently pushed Azrael out of the way and lifted Ella into his arms.  She was light, practically nothing and the limpness of her body made something inside of him ache.  In any other circumstance, it'd be her arms around him, not the other way around.  He pushed those thoughts away as his wings unfurled.  He could see the protest forming from Azrael but he took off before she could voice her concerns.  Azrael was right, they didn't have a lot of time and he'd seen too many people die waiting for ambulances.  He'd willingly return to hell and rule it until the end of time if it meant he could keep Ella from an early grave.

As he banked towards the hospital, Ella let out another noise of distress and he tightened his grip around her, hoping she'd find some comfort from the gesture. 

 

 

He didn't know how long it'd been since he had dropped Ella in the ER.  As soon as they'd moved Ella to a gurney, she'd gone into cardiac arrest.  The doctors and nurses had tried to keep him away, to get him to leave them to their work but he refused.  It took one look and the hospital staff ignored him as he stood vigil while the human doctors attempted to keep Ella Lopez alive.  It had been touch and go for awhile, but they eventually got her on the edge of stable.  However, when they got her heart under control, her blood pressure was too high; if they got that under control, her lungs weren't getting enough oxygen; if it wasn't one thing, it was another.  She'd seized twice and the steady stream of Doctors and Nurses seemed to be at a loss as to how to treat her in the long term and Lucifer offered them nothing.  In the end, the human doctors could only do so much.  He needed to talk to Morpheus but he didn't want to leave her alone.  As far as he knew, Dream didn't have a cell phone.  He made a mental note to impart on the usefulness of the device.   

Lucifer was currently alone with Ella in her small hospital room.  Azrael had came to check on their charge.  She had briefly berated him for his hasty decision but he honestly wasn't listening to her.  His sister had been torn between her job and her friend but, in the end, she left to take care of some things and promised to return shortly.  The hospital staff had already notified Ella's family.  Her brother was on the way from whatever rat hole he'd crawled into and her family from Detroit were making travel arrangements. 

The room was quiet beside the occasional beep of hospital equipment, the faint buzzing of the world outside Ella's tiny room and her occasional whimper, the only physical sign she was still with them. 

"Brother," A smooth voice said as a hand clamped down on his shoulder, squeezing as if offering some kind of comfort. 

"Amenadiel."

"How is she?" He asked, not moving his hand and Lucifer shook his head slightly and cast a quick glance up as his brother before he returned his focus on the girl in the bed.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't already know," He stated, his voice sounding rough to his ears.  Amenadiel neither confirmed nor denied the statement and Lucifer took that as confirmation enough.  Silence continued between them and, had it not been for the continued background noise of the hospital outside, he may have thought Amenadiel had frozen them in time.  "Let's just skip to it then," He said after a long pause, rolling his shoulders to shrug Amenadiel's hand away.  "what do you want?"

Amenadiel was quiet for a long moment and Lucifer turned his attention away from Ella and studied his brother.  The other angel had returned to wearing his gray robes, almost blending into the room's shadows.  His eyes flickered between Ella and Lucifer, filled with concern, sadness, and something Lucifer couldn't identify.  When those brown eyes met his, Amenadiel looked away, unable to meet his gaze and Lucifer felt his blood start to run cold.  No.

"This isn't the place," Amenadiel said softly, his eyes flickering between the hallway, Lucifer, and Ella on the bed, something like fear in his eyes but that wasn't right.  Amenadiel had never known fear and he certainly never hesitated to force his opinions on others.

"If you're worried about the humans, you could always freeze time."

"It wouldn't help with ... " He gave a pointed look at Ella and returned his gaze back to Lucifer, concern filling his eyes. 

"Well, you see Brother, I'm not going anywhere so if you have something to say, just bloody say it. Otherwise, you know your way back to the Silver City," Lucifer stated, turning his gaze away from Amenadiel and waving a hand in dismissal.  "See you next century."

Silence stretched between them and Lucifer grabbed Ella's hand, giving it a small squeeze when she let out a whimper of distress.  He had almost forgotten his brother was still in the room until his voice broke through the silence.

"Father sent me," He stated simply and Lucifer froze, his body tensing and a humorless laugh escaping him before he even registered it.

"Of course he did," He stated, rolling his eyes and setting Ella's hand down.  He didn't need to be holding onto something so fragile for whatever Dear Ole Dad had to say.  "And of _course_ he couldn't just bloody tell me himself," He stood up, stretching slightly as he turned his full attention to Amenadiel, frowning as he considered his brother.  "And why didn't he send Gabriel with his message?" He asked, shaking his head, feeling anger flaring.  "Did you end up demoted? Shame he didn't throw you out of the house too," He spat before he could stop himself. 

Amenadiel just sighed in response, seeming to wait to make sure Lucifer was finished before continuing.  "This is why I didn't want to do this here," He stated, giving him a pointed look and Lucifer couldn't help but roll his eyes.  Bloody hell he needed a drink.  Of all the times he _didn't_ have his flask on him, his sanctimonious brother had to show up in his friend's hospital room with a message from Dad.  Bloody perfect.

"Well, you can tell _Dad_ that if he doesn't plan on interfering than he can shove whatever message he has"

"I think his message has something to do with saving Ella," Amenadiel interjected before he could finish telling his brother exactly where Dad could shove his divine messages and Lucifer froze when the words sunk in, his brain turning over Amenadiel's words.

"No," Lucifer said, shaking his head, knowing nothing good ever came from him carrying out Dad's wishes. "Oh no.  I don't need to be indebted to Dad again.  That didn't work out so well for us the last time with Mum and all," He said, moving away from Ella and closer to his brother.  "I don't need _his_ help."

"He's offering it freely," Amenadiel protested, rolling his eyes at his younger brother.  "Why can't you, for once in your life, just listen?"

"Because _I_ know what the costs of his words are!" He yelled, fires flaring behind his eyes and retreating. 

"Luci," Amenadiel was looking at him with something like pity and he gave his brother a disgusted look.  He didn't need Amenadiel's pity.  He didn't need his message and he sure as hell, didn't need Dad.

"Excuse me, Sirs?" A voice from the doorway interrupted and both men turned to see a young nurse standing uncertainly in the doorways. 

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," She said, her voice quivering as if she was afraid of them attacking her.  "You're disturbing the other patients and a family member is here to visit and asked to be alone with the patient."

Lucifer cast a glare at Amenadiel before turning a thousand watt smile to the young woman.  He could see the moment she fell into his thrall and Amenadiel sighed heavily beside him.

"Of course, we apologize for any disturbances," he stated, debating for a moment about getting her to let him stay but, with one more glance at Ella, he knew he needed to talk to Morpheus and she wouldn't be alone.   He moved back to his abandoned chair and grabbed his suit jacket before moving towards the room's doorway, not caring if his brother followed him or not. 

As he moved towards the elevators, he slipped his jacket on, Amenadiel's heavy footsteps ringing in his ears.  He jabbed the down button and straightened his jacket, rebuttoning it as the doors opened.  He stepped in and jabbed the lobby button as Amenadiel stepped silently in behind him.  The doors closed with a ding and Lucifer realized they were alone.

"Luci"

" _No_ ," he snarled and Amenadiel remained silent the rest of the way down.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and Lucifer stepped off the elevator, moving with a purpose towards the entry doors.  He didn't pause to confirm if Amenadiel was with him or not.  At this point, he'd rather his brother took the hint and flew back home but Lucifer knew he could not be so lucky.  Amenadiel was assigned with a task and he would stay with him like a bloodhound until he found a way to deliver it.  Ignoring his brother was like breathing and He needed to move far enough away from the hospital and fly back to Lux.  Hopefully, Morpheus was still there but, failing that, he could enter the Dreaming and hope Morpheus found him there. 

"Lucifer!" A breathless voice called out and he stopped in his tracks, turning his head to the left to see the Detective running towards him, panic in her eyes.  "Is she ok? What happened?!" She asked, stopping just before him, catching her breath.

"Her brother, I assume, is with her.  She's ... she's holding on," He answered, part of him wanting to ignore Chloe and get moving.  The other part of him wanted to stay with her and he honestly didn't know what to do with that desire.  He needed to get to Morpheus and he _needed_ to fix this. 

"That's ... is there anything ... do they know what happened?" Chloe asked, tears stinging her eyes as she questioned him.  He could feel something inside of him soften at her distress and his desire to run off was quickly becoming overpowered by the desire to stay.

"Chloe, I'm sorry but we have something important to see to," Amenadiel interrupted and Chloe gave him an incredulous look and Lucifer sighed as he gave his brother a pointed look.

"She knows, Amenadiel."

" _Lucifer_ ," His brother spat, his opinions on the subject made known by the way he said his name.  Shocked, appalled, and ferocious anger all in one. 

"Lucifer, what is going on?" Chloe asked, and Lucifer could see the wheels turning in her head.  His clever Detective obviously picking up on what happened to Mr. Sanchez, what was happening to Ella, was something celestial or _other_.

Lucifer sighed and, without a second thought, wrapped an arm around the Detective and steered her towards the exit, moving this party out of the hospital and to a more private venue.

"I'll fill you in on the way back to Lux, Detective," Lucifer stated, not bothering to address Amenadiel's second appalled explanation of his name. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys. Sorry for the delay. I had meant for this to be up earlier this week but life happened. This chapter was a bit of a doosey to write and has a lot of meat to it. I hope it translates as well to you as it did in my head. See end of chapter notes for some fun facts :)
> 
> Disclaimer reminder: I have not read the comics and am by far not an expert on the Endless. Everything I have taken about them has come from various websites, some inquiries to people who have read them, and my own head canon of connecting the bits together. I apologize for any inaccuracies to the characters but they are borrowed and have been molded to fit my needs.

The only sounds in the car were Chloe's deep breathes as she digested what she just learned and the LA traffic outside.  She should have let Lucifer drive but, at the time, she had thought that was the more dangerous option.  Her hands gripped the steering wheel as the light before them keep them stopped, staring blankly at the red glow.

She didn't know how long it had been since Lucifer had finished and Amenadiel continued to stare disapprovingly at the two of them from the backseat. There was a tension in the car so thick it could be cut with a knife and she wasn't sure if it was because of her, Lucifer's tale, or the disapproving angel in the backseat.  She wanted to open a window or say something ... anything to break the silence but her brain wasn't working and her hands continued to grip the steering wheel as if that was the only thing holding her sanity together.  A burning in her chest made her aware she had stopped breathing and she took in a deep lungful of air and let it out slowly, trying to restart her brain and say something, anything but where the hell does one start with this?

"You know that consorting with the Endless is forbidden," Amenadiel stated, breaking the silence and causing her to jump.

The Endless.  The beings as old as the beginning of Time was what Lucifer had said.  He had described how in the beginning, there was nothing and when the first spark of creation began, Destiny was formed and immediately after there was death.  Because for there to be life, there was Destiny and for Destiny to end, there needed Death.  Once life began to develop, Dream emerged for without Dreams, Destiny could not gain fruition.  And after Dream came Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.  Each being was the creation of the essential elements of sentient life and the embodiment of these essential forces.  Without one, there could not be another.  They were fact.  Endless; for as long as this universe continued to exist.

As if God, the Devil, Angels, and Demons weren't enough.  The Sandman was real.  Part of her wanted to ask about the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and Jack Frost but she couldn't find her voice and the rational part of her brain knew she was being ridiculous. 

"Oh yes, because Morpheus and I are old drinking buddies," Lucifer shot back, sarcasm lacing his words and she could hear the eye roll in his tone.  " _He_ sought me out."

"I don't like this, Luci." Amenadiel stated, his voice heavy and she could imagine the deep frown on his face.  She took another breathe, trying to decide what the hell she could contribute to this insanity when the light turned green and she found herself moving her right foot to the gas pedal, keeping her concentration on the road before her.

"Yeah, well, join the bloody club," Lucifer muttered, effectively dismissing Amenadiel.  She could feel his eyes on her and she cast a quick glance at him before returning her attention to the road before her.  He looked concerned. She took a deep breath, clenching and relaxing her grip and let it out in a slow exhale.

"Ok, run this by me again," She said, her mind finally progressing forward from the whole concept of the Endless.

"Pardon?"

"The whole ... Dream thing," Chloe stated, frowning as she tried to remember the details he had told her.  In all honesty, her brain had locked in on the Sandman being real and hadn't really processed the rest of it and how he had anything to do with Mr. Sanchez, the 10 other murders, and Ella. 

"Dream, more commonly known as Morpheus or the Sandman, is merely a pattern or an idea, like the rest of his siblings.  The Endless are"

"Yes, yes, I got that," Chloe said, interrupting Amenadiel's clinical explanation of the beings.  She was honestly surprised he had chosen to speak up.  When Lucifer had expressed his intent on filling her in, Amenadiel had not hesitated to protest the wisdom of that decision and had not been happy with it.  Lucifer, true to form, had ignored his brother's protests and told her anyway.  Part of her wondered if it was out of spite but she appreciated the honesty though she had no clue how this was all going to end up in her case reports.  She'd be sent for multiple psych evals and probably be locked up for insanity. "What I don't understand is how the Endless are connected to what is going on with Ella."

"According to Morpheus, there is a Darkness that has overtaken Death and is working on the Dream world," Lucifer stated and winced as he continued with his explanation.   "I had dismissed his concerns as having no impact outside of the Realms of Death and Dreaming.  When, an Endless dies, they are replaced by a successor.  For an Endless to be truly gone, the whole _concept_ of Death and Dream would have to cease to exist," Lucifer paused, and had she not known better, she may have mistaken it as a pause for effect but she knew he was considering his next words.  She glanced in her mirrors and hit the blinker, checking for an opening before changing lanes.  They were getting close to Lux where Lucifer was hoping Morpheus was still lingering.

"So they can't die?" Chloe summed and Lucifer hummed in agreement, though it didn't sound convincing.

"The Endless are personified concepts.  Any perceived danger to their existence would mean the destruction of all of Creation which wouldn't be possible," Amenadiel stated. "Dad wouldn't allow it."

"And yet ... Dad sent _you_." Lucifer muttered, and Chloe found herself agreeing with his assessment.  If this whole thing was truly nothing, than why would God send Amenadiel with some kind of mysterious message?  What she didn't entirely understand was why Lucifer didn't want to hear it.  He hadn't said anything about it after Amenadiel had made one last plea before getting into the car.  Lucifer had told his brother, in very colorful and descriptive terms, exactly where Amenadiel could deliver his message.  She didn't have the guts to question the validity of that decision.   

"Dad would have sent more than a few words if the Universe were truly in danger," Amenadiel stated, sitting up straighter in the backseat of the car, looking as if he were ready to engage in a fight.  "And I doubt he'd leave it to _you_."

Lucifer was silent for a moment but she could see his jaw clench and his eyes narrow.  Before he could say something that would inevitably result in the destruction of her car, Chloe cleared her throat.

"Alright, enough with the bickering," She stated in her best Mom voice.  "Lucifer, you think that this ... Darkness?" He nodded an affirmative and she kept going.  "Has somehow killed those people in their dreams and Ella ... " her voice cracked slightly at the mention of her friend and she took a deep breath to shove her emotions to the side so she could finish. "is the next victim?"

"Ella isn't going to die," Lucifer stated, his voice firm and matter-of-fact.  It left no room for argument and she found herself glancing at him uncertainly as she clicked the turn signal and pulled into the alley that led to Lux's private parking garage. 

"Oh, so you know how to save her?" Amenadiel asked, his voice smug and Lucifer growled in response, a noise that sounded so inhuman the hair on the back of her neck prickled and every instinct inside her told her to run and hide.  She swallowed hard against the giant lump in her throat and pulled into the parking garage and into one of the open spaces that led into the back entrance of Lux. 

Before she'd even cut the engine, both celestials were out of the car and moving towards the entrance of Lux and she found she could breathe a little easier.  She pulled the key from the ignition and got out of the car, slamming her door closed.  She took another breathe to calm her anxiety and she turned her head to see Amenadiel walking inside the building and Lucifer holding the door, waiting for her.

"Go, I'll be right there," She called out, pulling her phone from her jacket pocket and holding it up.  "I promised Dan I'd call him with an update," though she had no clue what the hell she was going to tell him.

Lucifer gave her a nod before following Amenadiel inside and she sighed when the sound of the door closing echoed through the mostly empty garage.  Unlocking her screen with one hand, she rubbed her temples with another, the beginnings of a headache starting to form.  She went to her recent calls and tapped "Dan" and held the phone to her ear, squeezing her temples as the phone rang.

Fuck how was she ever going to explain this mess?

"How is she?" Dan's soft voice asked as soon as the call connected. 

"I didn't see her," Chloe stated, blowing out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Her brother was there but she's ... she's stable for now."

"Any idea what happened?" Dan asked and she could hear the sound of a door clicking closed on the other end. 

"No fucking clue," She said, feeling tears sting her eyes.  Her job was to serve and to protect.  How the hell can she protect against this? How do you punish "Darkness"?

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you," Dan stated with such a conviction a tear escaped her eye.

"Yeah ... we'll see," She said, sniffling in response.  "Is Trix asleep?"

"Yeah, sorry.  She wanted to stay up but I didn't know how long you'd be ..."

"It's fine," Chloe said, wanting nothing more than to hug her daughter and make sure she's ok.  Silence fell between then and Chloe wasn't sure if she should say her goodbyes or ask him to wake up Trixie.  She knew it wasn't fair, but she really needed to hear her voice.

"Is there anything I can do?" Dan asked and she found herself shaking her head in response. 

"No," she answered and sniffed. "I'm not even sure there's anything I can do at this point."

"Hey, don't do that," He said, his voice firm as he spoke. "Ella's tough and she's going to be ok.  She has you working to make sure she is," Dan's words confident as he spoke.  "You'll figure this out," He finished.

"Thanks, Dan." She said, though she lacked his confidence, it was good to hear someone had faith in her.

"I mean it, if there's anything I can do, let me know."

"I will," She said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, feeling her emotions settle from the storm that was threatening to take over her. "I have to go but ... thanks for staying with Trix."

They said their goodbyes and Chloe ended the call.  She saw she had several missed texts and opened the app, frowning at the ones from Maze.

_Just tell me who to kill_. 

Was the most recent.  A shiver went down her spine and she chewed on her lip, glancing at the door to Lux and back at her phone.  She knew something big had happened between Lucifer and Maze.  The two appeared to be on the outs but it was Ella and Maze had her skill sets.  She hesitated only a second more before she made her decision and shot off the text, indicating where they were. 

She pocketed her phone, trying to not feel like she just did something totally taboo and left the parking garage to join the others. 

 

 

She followed the voices towards the main bar where she could see Lucifer, Amenadiel and two others she didn't recognize.  One was a short girl, probably early twenties.  She had dark hair and wore dark robes.  The other was an older man, seated at one of the bar stools.  His features were young in appearance despite the greying hair.  She studied him as she approached, something about his appearance didn't sit right with her and she couldn't place what it was.

"Detective," Lucifer greeted, grinning at her like he hadn't just seen her less than five minutes ago.  The others all turned towards her and she stopped next to Lucifer. "Meet my sister, Azrael, and Morpheus. Morpheus was just about to tell us everything he knows."

"Detective Decker," Morpheus greeted and Chloe could only stare at him a moment, studying his appearance. His hair was grey, his eyes a bright blue with a light in them that was more reminiscent of a newborn than an old man.  While his face appeared slightly weathered, it lacked natural signs of aging.  His clothes were like that of a stereotypical librarian, complete with tweed jacket, bow tie, and scuffed converse shoes.  The whole ensemble made no sense. 

"I'm sorry, you just did not look like what I would expect,"

The man grinned at her and waved a hand in dismissal.

"It's quite alright.  My appearance changes to suit those who perceive me.  It can be difficult for humans to process my true form." Morpheus explained and turned his attention towards Lucifer.

"As I started to tell you before, I've been in brief contact with Destiny and what he has told me is deeply disturbing," Morpheus explained and Amenadiel frowned, his gaze growing serious as he listened. "The Darkness is beginning to spread and it is only a matter of time before he has control over the Dreaming."

"Why haven't the Endless sought Dad's help?"

"Your Father does not wish to acknowledge our existence," Morpheus responded to Amenadiel before turning his attention back to Lucifer.

"Destiny was able to track where things changed and the events that allowed the Darkness to take hold in this dimension." Morpheus paused as if to consider his next words before continuing.  "Just over a year ago, there was an event that took place not even Destiny foresaw.  It was a brief moment in time where the fabric of our universe was exposed and allowed something to come through."

Chloe frowned as he spoke, trying to determine what he was referring to.  Morpheus kept his eyes on Lucifer as he spoke, seeming to evaluate his reactions.  Chloe shifted her attention to Lucifer and saw a tightness in his jaw and a flash of anger in his eyes.  She glanced at Amenadiel who seemed to pale slightly.  Azrael looked just as confused as she did.

"What happened?" Azrael asked, looking back and forth between her brothers.  Amenadiel only looked at Lucifer who huffed.

"Of course, it's my bloody fault," He moved away from the group and made his way behind the bar and Chloe knew he was going for his stash of alcohol. "Because it's always my fault," His bitter voice called out from behind the bar where he slammed a glass on the counter and filled it before downing the contents.

"Lu, what happened?" Azrael asked, her voice soft and encouraging as Lucifer poured himself another drink.

"It was Mom, wasn't it?" Amenadiel asked, his attention on Morpheus who nodded.

"Mom?" Azrael asked, her eyes widening in surprise and Chloe felt more things slide into place.  She could remember Lucifer looking appalled and making comments about Charlotte Richards being his mother.  Apparently she wasn't just his disturbingly young step-mother.  She found herself biting back the questions that were forming in her mind.  This wasn't the time for it but she made herself make note to ask for additional clarification later. 

"Mom was on Earth for awhile, inhabiting a human body," Amenadiel explained, casting a concerned glance at Lucifer before continuing.  "But the human body wasn't meant to hold her."

"She would have destroyed the whole human world which would have started a war with Dad," Lucifer interrupted, slamming his hands on the bar as he looked back and forth between Amenadiel and Morpheus.  "What else was I suppose to do?"

"The events that unfolded were not within Destiny's purview until they happened," Morpheus stated, his tone indifferent. 

"What happened to Mom?" Azrael asked, her voice catching slightly at the end and a deep frown creasing her forehead. Lucifer sighed heavily, a look of guilt flickered across his face before it went back to the carefully school nonchalance so fast that Chloe wondered for a moment if she had only imagined it.

"I used the sword to cut a hole in the universe and sent her onto a new one.  She could create to her heart's content without destroying everything and pissing off Dad," Lucifer answered.

"Of course everything goes back to that Bitch," a new voice spat, and Chloe turned to see Mazikeen standing just behind the group, hands on her hips.  "What do we kill?" Maze asked, pulling a knife from who knew where and holding it with a glint in her eye and a smirk on her lips.

"Your hell-forged knives will not be required, Demon." Morpheus stated in such a matter-of-fact tone that Chloe felt chastised on Maze's behalf.

Maze just scoffed in response, not looking convinced.

"So ... Charlotte-your mom, was sent to another dimension which was good, because it saved us but this...Darkness was able to come here," Chloe concluded, needing to feel like she was contributing something to the problem at hand and needing to be certain she was following what was happening here. 

"That is correct, Detective," Morpheus answered.

"OK ... so the Darkness came through when Mom was sent to the other universe ... we can always send it back right?" Azrael asked, looking hopeful at Morpheus. 

"We can't," Lucifer stated, taking another drink of whatever alcohol he had started consuming.  "Two of the three pieces of the flaming sword are no longer in this universe."

There was a beat of silence as everyone took that in. 

"Darkness can only be overcome with Light," Morpheus stated and Chloe found herself frowning at the words.  It sounded like a riddle or a clue but the words were meaningless to her.

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light," Amenadiel muttered and Chloe frowned.

"Did you just quote Harry Potter?"

"Excuse me?"

"Harry Potter? Dumbledore says something like that to Harry in one of the books.  Trixie was just watching the movie the other day," Chloe explained and the angel continued to stare at her in confusion.

"That was the message from Dad," Amenadiel stated, looking confused.

A bitter laugh from behind the bar caught all of their attention and Chloe found herself growing concerned as the laugh grew.  Lucifer was shaking his head and as he laughed, a humorless sound as he grabbed the glass he was drinking from and chucked it at the nearest wall, the glass shattering into pieces so small, Chloe couldn't see the shards.

"Bloody perfect," Lucifer stated, eyes flashing red before returning to the brown she was use to seeing and Chloe found herself trying to connect what was just said to Lucifer's strong reaction.  Darkness can only be overcome with light. No...it was Light.  The way Morpheus had said the word, it had meaning; almost like a name.

"Do you see now?" Morpheus asked, his attention on Lucifer.  "Why I have come to you?"

"Oh, I see," Lucifer stated, turning his attention on Morpheus.  "I still can't help you," He said, his voice angry, bitter even.  Chloe could see the tenseness in his shoulders and jaw.  He looked like a caged tiger, ready to strike.

"Lu, it's _Ella_ ,"  Azrael pleaded, and Lucifer shot her a pained look before returning to the simmering anger. Darkness. Light.  Lucifer. Angels. Demons. Ella. Her mind spun, slowly connecting the pieces as the others continued to talk around her.

"Don't you dare punk out," Maze snarled as she advanced towards Lucifer, standing before him with only the bar between them.  She held up her knife and her eyes blazed with intent. "I'll make it hurt," She threatened, and Lucifer stood before her and held his hands out to his sides, as if welcoming Maze to carry out her threat.

"Do as you wish, Mazikeen," Lucifer stated, eyes daring her.

"Luci, we figured it out. It's all in your"

"Head? No Amenadiel, it's not in my head, that's the bloody problem."

"Only the Lightbringer can defeat the Darkness," Morpheus stated.

"Well the Lightbringer was extinguished when Dad decided Lord of Hell had a better ring to it," Lucifer stated, slamming his hands down on the bar in frustration.

"Lu, we'll figure it out," Azrael said, looking concerned and Chloe wasn't sure if it was for Ella, the universe, her brother, or all of the above. 

"You just have to _believe_ ," Amenadiel chimed in. 

The voices around her faded out as her brain continued to work on the pieces.  Darkness could only be defeated by the Light.  Lucifer _was_ the Lightbringer.  The Darkness was in the Dream world and Morpheus was the lord of the Dream Realm.  Happiness could be found in the Darkness if one remembers to light.  That was Amenadiel's message from God.  Which meant what?  Was it literal? Metaphorical? If literal, it meant Lucifer _does_ have the power; he just doesn't remember how to turn it on.  Than the question is, how does Lucifer remember?

She could hear the voices around her, the pressure for him to try to just _believe_ and she found herself frowning.  He'd never get it this way.  Lucifer doesn't respond to finger pointing and he definitely does not respond to Amenadiel's kind of encouragement.  Maze's threats only add fuel to his anger.  Azrael ... she wasn't sure about their relationship but Lucifer seemed like he didn't want to disappoint her which only added pressure. Morpheus ... she has no idea what he has to contribute but he's the messenger. The means.  She felt the fog lift from her brain in a moment of clarity and looked up to where she last remembered Lucifer and frowned when she saw he was gone.  She could hear protests from the room's companions and she glanced over just in time to see the elevators to the penthouse close. 

The others had all moved to follow him and Chloe called out to them, making them all stop and look to her, as if they had all forgotten she was there.

"Let me," Chloe stated, moving past them and in the direction towards the stairs, knowing he would have disabled the elevator.  "I have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably noticed the POV change. It was an interesting experience for me. When I write something, I plot it out in my head and outline. When I'm working on a chapter, I actually work it out in my head and have whole scenes visualized on how they will play out. This one was in my head as all Lucifer. I could see how it would play out in his point of view. When I sat down to write it ... Chloe came out. I had started and stopped and restarted this chapter several times but it always went back to Chloe. So we got her take on things. While it wasn't what I had planned, I really like the way this chapter played out. I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> As for the content ... I really hope this worked to help explain some things and how everything connects. This chapter, in my mind, has always been "The Answers" chapter. I hope it helps to clarify everything and connect everything. This piece here, how it all connected, was what stopped me from writing this for months after the original idea was sparked. It was an experience trying to figure out how to make it work and, ironically, a Lucifer marathon helped me figure out it. Three cheers for DVD releases! 
> 
> I'm really excited to post the next chapter. It was actually written before Chapter 4 was ever completed. This one will probably be up by the end of the weekend or early next week. Because it was written so early in the story, I need to fix a couple things that changed or evolved but the meat of it should still hold. Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying! We're almost to the end actually. I would have the total chapter numbers added but I tend to write long and end up splitting it up so we'll see if it ends up staying the same. It should be about another 4 or 5 and an epilogue.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! This chapter was actually written after Chapter 4 and has been hanging out on my computer, just waiting for its moment. I'm both anxious and excited to see how you all like this one. This was ... it was a lot to write and I hope it translates.

He couldn't listen anymore.  His blood was roaring and he could feel his other self just below the surface.  He was losing control and he needed to get away before he smote someone.  All he could see was red and the world was blurring around the edges like they did when he was losing control. 

As he turned away, he could hear a chorus of "Lucifer" and "Wait" and he could swear he heard Amenadiel scoff and say "typical" but that could have been in his head.  All he knew was he couldn't bear to be in their presence anymore and for them to witness his failure. He needed air.  He needed to get away.  He needed to get himself under control and to do that, he just needed to think without everyone's commentary.  This was his burden and they couldn't help him. 

Rage was burning in his veins and he could feel the fire behind his eyes as he moved away from the group and towards his haven.  He needed a drink. He needed something to destroy.  He needed to save her.  He hated himself more than he ever had before.  This was his fault.  His lack of oversight to the consequences of banishing Mum to her own universe.  So much for keeping the peace.  Bloody hell, why does everything he do blow up in his face? And worst... it's not just _him_ being burned this time.  He could live with that.  He could cope with that.  He'd be bloody happy with that.  But no.  This had to blow up and destroy Ella in its wake.  The one person who deserved to be a goddamned angel if it wasn't for Dad taking away her free will to do it. 

He jabbed the button for the elevator and closed his eyes.  There was an air of brimstone and smoke surrounding him and he clenched his fists.  He wasn't going to turn into the monster.  She wouldn't want him to but fuck if he didn't want it.  It'd be so much easier to let go and burn it all down.  He'd start the apocalypse if it meant he'd be able to fix this mess.

The elevator dinged and he moved out of it.  He grabbed the first bottle off the bar and chugged it as he moved out to the balcony.  He barely registered the taste of liquor on his tongue before the alcohol burned his throat as it went down but it was a welcome relief. A distraction from his raging thoughts.  A complimentary burn to the fire running through his veins.

He finished the bottle and threw it against the building, taking satisfaction in seeing it splinter into a million pieces but it didn't do anything against the fire and the storm of emotions raging within him.  He found himself laughing, not really understanding the reaction but he gave into it fully, tears burning his eyes as he laughed humorously into the warm night air.  He turned away from the glass doors and gripped the railing, the metal bending under his fingers as he ground his teeth and tried to get a grip. 

"If you take her ..." Lucifer found the words spilling out without meaning to.  There was a part of him, the small sliver of rational thought left that told him to hold his tongue but he never listened to that part of himself.  Maybe he should.  But right now ... right now he needed to rage and Dad was going to listen or there would be Hell to pay.  Literally. "...if she suffers, I'll never forgive you.  There will be no chance of reconciliation.  If she finds her way in hell, I'll find a way to free her soul or end it.  I'll start the bloody apocalypse if that's what it takes.  We'll have the war you've pinned on me and I won't stop until I'm dead or she's free.  She doesn't deserve this." He couldn't help the humorless laugh that escaped his throat as the words left him.  _Deserve_.  No one deserved his Dad's promise and games that no one knew the bloody rules to.  How can you play a game without the manual? How can anyone ever expect to win?!

He gasped and realized the last bit he had said aloud.  He could feel tears burning behind his eyes and he sniffed and ignored them.  Bloody hell this whole thing was a goddamned mess and the almighty remained unseen. Unheard. 

"What is the point then?!" He yelled, looking up into the sky instead of below. 

Of course he didn't get an answer.  The only sounds around him were the constant hum of LA traffic and the rustling of the light breeze blowing in the night air. 

He shook his head and looked down, a couple tears escaping down his face and he angrily brushed them away.  He returned his grip to the railing, closing his eyes and leaning into it.  He could still feel the storm of emotions within him.  It was anger.  Pure unfiltered anger.  Hatred for his father.  Hatred for himself.  Sadness for Ella and anger at her fate.  He could feel the fires of hell just out of reach; ready to burn and destroy at his command.  A readiness he hasn't felt from them in a century at least.  It would be so easy to let go and let it all burn.  Maybe Dad will come back to the garage with the fire extinguisher.

He felt a weight on his shoulder, a firm squeeze and he had enough control not to give into the fight or flight instinct and jerk to attention.  He couldn't look at who had joined him. He didn't know what he would do if he looked up and acknowledged the other presence.  It definitely wasn't Amenadiel or Ray Ray.  He would have felt them closer if it were one of them.  One of the humans or Maze.  He wasn't sure how to acknowledge the presence so he ignored it and continued to breath against the fire threatening to consume him.

"Hey ... I just ... I know it's stupid but I just wanted to make sure you were ok." A soft voice said and through the anger and fire, he felt a bit of light as the voice made its way to his awareness.  Chloe. Her hand moved down from his shoulder to cover one of his hands gripping the twisted railing.  He didn't know what she'd think of that but he couldn't worry about Chloe's sensitive disposition right now.  She'd have to deal just as he was trying to.

"I can't save her," He gasped out, his voice rough against the emotions lingering in the back of his throat.  Chloe squeezed his hand in response but didn't say anything, sensing he needed to say more.  "I don't know how to and by the time I'll have figured it out she'll be-" He broke off, unable to voice the thought that kept burning within him.  Failure.  Always a failure.

"I know it's not much help, but sometimes ... sometimes we can't save everyone." She whispered, sounding as sad as he was angry.  "But even if we can't figure it out, she wouldn't want you to blame yourself." He snorted in response but didn't say anything else.  "I know it's easier said than done, but we'll figure this out Lucifer. Together. Like we always do."

"You can't help me this time, Detective." He managed to choke out, the overwhelming anger and rage leaving him and now he just felt empty. Exhausted. Defeated.

"Maybe not. But that still doesn't mean that you're alone."

With his weight staying on his arms, he lifted his head and turned to face her.  He could see Chloe take in a breath, as if she saw something that disturbed her but she didn't otherwise react.  She squeezed his hand again in a way that was meant to be comforting and he looked out at the city below.

"You heard Morpheus. Dream. Daniel.  Whatever you want to call him.  The Darkness that's taken hold of Ella can only be defeated by the Light of God. Unfortunately, the Lightbringer has been out of service for a couple millenia."

Chloe pursed her lips in thought and hummed her agreement.

"Amenadiel mentioned a flaming sword?"

"That ... that was different." Lucifer stated, shuddering at the memory of what it took to light it.  The emotional sacrifice the sword asked of him was too much.  The light Morpheus was asking would be more than the sword and he knew he couldn't bear it.  He'd never be able to manage more than the flames of the sword but he didn't have the sword, the conduit to wield the light of the silver city.  And even if he did ... the sword worked differently than the light of creation.  He wasn't sure how he knew it but he did.

"Okay." Chloe said, matter of factly.  She turned shifted her body to look out over the city, her stance mimicking his.  "Let's think of this another way ... yeah?  So the Light of God is needed to defeat the Darkness.  So ... why can't God"

"Because he bloody well doesn't interfere.  And Dad-forbid he got off his lazy arse and did something for a change."

"Okay; so God is out.  The sword is out." She summed and Lucifer nodded his agreement. "What about ... there's other sources of light, aren't there?" Chloe asked, her voice hesitant as if she wasn't sure how to voice her thoughts.

"...Yes ... but I think this one has been rather specific."

"OK.  But God's light ... I mean, God -in theory anyway - created the Silver City, Hell, all of this," She rotated her head in a circle before looking at him again.  "Fire is a form of light, isn't it?" She asked, her eyes slightly guarded, as if afraid of being rebuked or immediately shot down for being stupid.

"I ... maybe." Lucifer acknowledged, frowning as he tried to piece together what she was thinking. 

"Well ... what about..." she took a deep breath and laughed slightly. "I'm sorry, I know this is serious but I can't believe I'm having this conversation," She said and Lucifer couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips.  It was good to have her back again.  "but ok, so your eyes," She said, gesturing to him and he realized hellfire was still burning behind them.  Not as strongly as before, but almost like a low simmer.  He blinked and he knew they vanished when he saw her relax a fraction more. "that's hellfire right? And it was theoretically created by God so why couldn't the fire be used against the Darkness?"

"Ah," Lucifer said, nodding as he looked away from her and back out at the city below.  His earlier anger was gone and he didn't know if it had to deal with Chloe's miracle dampening or if it was just her in general.  Either way, he was beginning to feel exhausted. It was like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and all he wanted to do was sleep it away.  But he needed to figure this out.  For Chloe because he knew her determination knew no ends.  He couldn't allow her to feel guilt over this.  And for Ella.  Especially Ella.   

Silence stretched between them and he could feel the anxiety and uncertainty pouring off of Chloe.  He understood her point. He'd had the same thought she did but there were logistical problems with hell fire that he wasn't sure if he should educate her on.  Chloe was still new to the world of Celestials and he just got her back.  He didn't ... couldn't... lose her because of this too. 

"Technically, I think you'd be correct." Lucifer stated and Chloe looked over at him, curiosity in her eyes. "To keep it simple, Hell Fire burns eternal and ... yes I have some control over it but I've never attempted to fully command it on planes other than Hell. Devil...apocalypse...it wouldn't do to test it out and inadvertently start the end of the world." Lucifer stated, rolling his eyes.  "And, even if I did use it against the Darkness, I don't know what it would do to Ella."

"What do you mean?"

"The Darkness is making its way to consuming her via the dream plane which adds another level of complexity.  But Hellfire burns eternal.  If I used it to consume the Darkness ..." Lucifer trailed off and he could see Chloe frown, her brain working to put together the problem. He could see the moment it clicked and he nodded his assent as he affirmed her conclusion. "It could inadvertently consume her as well."

At that, a heavy silence filled the air between them and Lucifer leaned his head down on his hands, feeling frustration beginning to gain foot on his emotions again.  Theoretically, the fires of hell should work against the Darkness but it wasn't worth the cost of Ella.  He wasn't sure if he could do it even if it wasn't her but a random stranger.  He'd seen what the Fires of Hell have done to Demons, human souls, and other beings.  They wouldn't just consume the person and that be the end of it.  They'd burn until the end of time and maybe even after.  It would be a fate worse than death. 

"Ok.  So hell fire is bad and completely out. The flaming sword is out.  God is out.  There has to be"

Lucifer's laugh made her stop what she was saying and Lucifer gripped the railing harder, the metal finally giving under his grip and snapping.  Chloe jumped at the sound, her eyes wide as she stared at the place his hands lay and the sudden loss of a seemingly unbreakable material.  She sucked in a breath and took a step back from the railing and he pushed himself off of it and threw his arms up, turning away from her and spinning around, his arms open.

"There's no other solution."

His let his arms go back to his sides and he looked up, glaring at the sky above them before turning his attention back to her.  His earlier rage starting to simmer in his veins.

"The power you no longer have?"

"That's the kicker.  I don't know." Lucifer stated, rolling his eyes.  "Amenadiel had this theory ... " He shook his head and with a self-deprecating laugh dismissed the thought. "It doesn't matter. What matters is even if I have the ability to call the power of creation and wield God's light, I don't remember it."

Chloe frowned as she considered what he said. He could see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to figure out what to ask or if she was going to let it go. He sighed and waved a dismissive hand in her direction as he flopped into a patio chair on the balcony.

"You can ask, Detective."

"It's Chloe." She stated matter of factly as she moved closer to him.  He blinked at her comment, not realizing he had called her Detective instead of Chloe.  He watched her as she sat down on the edge of the chair next to him and reached for his hand, resting hers on top of it.  "What do you mean, you don't remember?"

He sighed and moved his hand out from hers and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and looked in her direction. A part of him wanted to deflect the question and not answer her.  He didn't need to.  He didn't owe her that part of himself but the defeated part of him, the part that realized he was going to fail Ella told him to tell her.  That he could trust her with this knowledge.

"I've never ... I've only spoken of this once.  It was to Morpheus, actually.  It doesn't matter how the conversation happened, but ever since The Fall, I haven't ... my memories of the Silver City have been more factual in nature.  I know what it looks like.  _Looked_ like.  I know the paths and where to find which sibling.  I know all of them and their favorite things to do when not doing Dad's bidding.  I know of ... I remember certain events but it's ... vague?" He paused, considering his words and realizing he didn't know how else to describe his memories of that time of his life.  They were there but it was almost like he'd read about it from a book or they happened to someone else. They didn't feel _real_ ; not like his more current memories or those that existed after his arrival in Hell.  "I don't remember anything about the creation of the universe.  I know I was there.  I _know_ at one point I lit up the stars but I can't _remember_ it." He couldn't stop the frustration that entered his voice on the last part.  He didn't know why he didn't remember that time.  It was almost as cruel as being kicked out of his home.

"Lucifer," Chloe said, her voice full of emotion. He looked over at her and could see tears in her eyes as she looked at him.  He frowned, not sure what he had said that would have caused her distress.

"Det-Chloe.  I didn't"

She sniffed, a single tear falling from her eye as she shook her head.  She leaned forward and grabbed his hands, squeezing them in hers.

"When I was six, my Dad taught me how to roller skate." She started, and he frowned, not sure where she was going or what she was trying to convey to him but he stayed silent and didn't interrupt.  She, probably, had a point.  He'd hear her out before he asked her if she hit her head when he wasn't watching her. "I thought I was the coolest kid, right? My new red skates and the sense of flying down the sidewalk.  It was way cooler than riding a two-wheeler bike," She said, grinning at him and he shrugged, not really sure what either of those activities had to do in relation to flying but he'd humor her. "Anyway, I had a radius that I was allowed to go on my skates and such and there was this park just outside of it.  So I decided I was a big girl. I was six and a half, soon to be _seven_ I could go the extra block to the park and back." Chloe continued, her small smile falling away as she continued.  "I don't remember how it happened but the next thing I remember, it was a week later and I was home with a cast on my left arm and the worst of the road rash and bruises were beginning to heal.  I was told I crossed the street and a car took the corner a bit fast.  It didn't hit me but it scared me and I fell."

"I'm sorry you fell on your skates, Chloe." Lucifer stated slowly, his mind still trying to figure out the point of the story.  She smiled at him and squeezed his hands before she continued.

"The point is," She said, nudging his shoulder with her body before leaning back. He looked at her in surprise, and she grinned at him before continuing "sometimes, your brain forgets things to protect yourself from the pain."

"I remember in great detail the Fall and the accompanying burns, Detective."

"I...wow.  That..." She shook her head. "We'll talk about that later.  My point is, you lost your _home_ , Lucifer.  Your family abandoned you and, simultaneously, you became vilified by humanity. And before you get riled up and go all 'Lucifer', I know you know that.  But have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, your memories weren't stolen from you but your brain has been protecting yourself against the pain of those memories?"

He opened his mouth to retort but he found he couldn't.  He could vaguely remember Linda saying something similar to him but in different words.  For some reason, when the Therapist said it, it didn't hit him like a ton of bricks like Chloe's soft words.  Her story bringing about the realization.  No words were spoken between them as he sat in stunned silence.  He could hear a siren in the distance and he wanted to say something, anything, but he was stuck on her words. Could it be that he was hiding the memories from himself?

"If ... if that's true," Lucifer said, managing to find his voice as he looked at her.  He felt raw and broken all the sudden, like Chloe was his last thread to sanity and he found himself holding her hands instead of the other way around. "how do I remember those things?"

Chloe gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "I don't know.  That's honestly not my area of expertise." She said, squeezing his hands in return.  "But I think maybe, having people you can trust and a home might help make those memories easier to bear."

He looked at her and couldn't help but feel in awe of her.  His Dad made a good one with her and he felt a pang of regret knowing he'd almost thrown her away out of spite.

Chloe took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh.  She turned to look back at him and squeezed his hands before getting up from her seat.  She stretched a moment and turned to look at him.

"You don't have to go back and face them if you don't want to, but I'm going to go back downstairs and, if the gang is still there, kick them all out and go visit Ella.  You're welcome to come with me." She said, and lingered a moment as he considered her words.  He wasn't sure if he could face the others right now.  He felt raw and exhausted.  But he did want to check on Ella.  He needed to be with her through her final moments if he couldn't save her. 

Chloe had started to move towards the patio when he rose from his seat.

"Chloe?"

She paused and turned to face him.  He stared at her a moment, the LA street lights casting a slight shadow across her face and the lights from the penthouse creating almost a halo type glow behind her.  She looked exquisite and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her.  He didn't remember moving to stand before her, but the next thing he was aware of was brushing a stray strand of hair from her face and behind her ear.

"Lucifer?"

He couldn't look away from her.  Her eyes had him hypnotized and he felt a pull to her so intense that he thought he'd drawn if he didn't stay in here orbit.  He didn't know who moved first.  One moment he was brushing her hair back behind her ear and the next he was cupping her cheek, thumb stroking her soft skin while the other rested on her waist.  He felt one of her hands on his forearm and another was reaching behind him, fingers stroking the hair at the nape of his neck.  He was looking into her eyes at one moment and the next his eyes were closed and his mouth was on hers and he could never put into words the way the world stopped.  How the ever present traffic noise ceased to exist. How it was like time stopped for them and they only lived in this moment.  

Sooner than he liked, her mouth was gone from his and their foreheads were touching.  Her fingers were lightly stroking the hair along the back of his neck and, if it wasn't for the reemergence of the situation at hand, he could have stayed in that moment forever.  But Ella was counting on him.

"Lucifer!" Chloe gasped and he opened his eyes, startled by her sudden exclamation.  "You're glowing!" She said, her surprise turning into a grin and he stared at her, confused while she grinned at him.  She pulled away enough to turn him around to face the patio doors and he froze at his reflection.  Chloe hadn't been lying.  His entire being seemed to be lit up, and he could _feel_ the hum, the song, of the Silver City in his blood.  It felt like _home._ He gasped and he watched as his reflection was crying.  He turned his head away and looked at Chloe who was grinning at him, looking both happy and proud and he couldn't help himself when he turned his body towards her and threw his arms around her in a tight hug.  Chloe gasped and returned the hug almost as much enthusiasm.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear and kissed her cheek in thanks.  He needed to find Morpheus and hope it wasn't too late for Ella.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A million apologizes for everyone. This chapter has been the death of me. I wrote and rewrote the opening probably five or six different times. Then I was sick. And then I fixed up the opening and started the middle and then I was sick again. And I almost lost the whole thing when my computer did something wonky this week and I was finally able to save it. I had planned for this chapter (and the next) to be one big massive long chapter in compensation for making you all wait but it would be another couple days until I finished the rest and thought you might appreciate knowing I haven't forgotten about this or abandoned it. So ... needless to say, here's Chapter 10, at least two weeks later than I originally planned because the Darkness would not cooperate and I somehow caught a cold that just would not go away. 
> 
> I hope you are all still with me! Many apologizes and I hope to have Chapter 11 within the next week or so.

She was soaked through, her wet hair hanging like limp noodles from her head.  It was pouring around her and she could barely see a foot into the wall of rain that pounded relentlessly on the sidewalk before her.  She couldn't suppress the shivers as she curled tighter and into the protection and comfort the roaring tiger statue that should have been standing on guard outside of Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, but was currently guarding the outside of Dodger Stadium.  It was wrong, but the Roaring Tiger, Paws as she always thought of him, with his paw stretched out as if about to attack, was a strange comfort in the world that didn't make sense.

Paws wasn't the only thing out of Place.  She had previously run past the Spirit of Detroit Statute sporting an oversized jersey for the Los Angeles Kings instead of the Detroit Red Wings.  The Fox Theatre was replaced with the Los Angeles Theatre.  Where Woodward should have been was Rodeo Drive.  Where the Windsor skyline of Canada should have been was the infamous Hollywood Sign on the side of Mount Lee.  Nothing made sense.  Neighborhoods were replaced with wilderness and factories.  Streets were not where they should have been.  Detroit was merged with LA and there were some areas she knew were not from either. 

Her movements have been forced by a presence she couldn't see or hear but she could _feel_ the wrongness of it.  So she moved when it came for her.  Running and running and running until she couldn't run anymore.  Losing herself more and more in this strange world where the comforts of her two homes were beginning to feel sinister instead of safe.  When she thought she recognized where she was, it changed or something was morphed or replaced with something else that didn't belong and there was no rhyme or reason for the changes.  They just were. 

Even worse than the strangeness of the world around her was the silence.  Both Cities were always busy with traffic, pedestrians, noise.  They were noisy cities but here, now, they were silent.  There was no one but her.  Abandoned cars littered the streets and alleys.  Homes, restaurants, and other businesses stood empty.  There was no noise other than her harsh breathes as she attempted to calm herself.  She was the only noise in an otherwise noiseless world and it was wrong.  So very wrong.

And then the rain started.  This never ending relentless rain that stung her skin with tiny pinpricks if she dared to venture into it.  It was like being stung with a bajillion micro-needles on every part of her body simultaneously. It hurt and it was cold and she needed it to end.  She knew she couldn't linger here much longer.  The presence will catch her soon. 

It always caught up to her.

She couldn't stop the tears that escaped her eyes, mingling with the rain that escaped her guardian Tiger's cover.  Maybe she should just give in; see what happens when the presence catches up to her.  Maybe it wasn't as bad as her instincts were telling her.  Just because it was different ...

She shivered and this time, it wasn't from the cold or the rain.

No.  It was just as bad, if not worst, than she was feeling.  She couldn't face it but there had to be a way to defeat it.  If only she could rest long enough to plan.  To learn something about it before she needed to run. 

 She took a shaky breath, trying to gather her inner courage, her will to continue on, and blew it out in an attempt to calm her nerves.  She looked up at Paws, taking comfort in the iconic statute from her childhood and patted his leg, stroking it gently as she steeled herself for the sting of the rain.

"Well Paws, what do you think Bud?" She asked, and was momentarily disappointed when no answer came.  He continued to snarl, paw outstretched, ready to attack.  If only he could attack on her behalf.  She just might feel like she could survive this if he could help her.  The disappointment weighed heavily on her heart and she shook her head, laughing at herself for a moment.  Of course he wouldn't respond.  He was a statute. 

"Right, thanks for the shelter Buddy.  Maybe I'll visit you for real soon, how about that?" She asked, patting the tiger one last time before taking a deep breath and pushing herself out of her hiding place and back into the rain.  She squinted as the rain pelted her face, tears stinging her eyes and mixing with the rain as she tucked her chin into her chest, arms wrapped around her middle as she moved onward. 

She crossed the street and moved down an alley, the rain making it difficult to make out the buildings around her, but they were old; likely historical based on the brick and arches she could make out from the corner of her eyes.  The buildings gave way to a park and she paused, not sure if she should continue forward or find a new path. She couldn't see enough to tell if there were any places to hide and she didn't like the idea of being in the open.  She turned to the left and right, trying to make out a better option when the rain stopped. 

"Oh Thank you!" she couldn't help but say, thankful that something was going better at least.  She reached up and wiped the water from her eyes and froze at the movement from the corner of her eye.  The shadows had moved. 

Before she could process the movement, she was back in the alley, pressed against the building, heart hammering in her chest.  She gulped, trying to calm her nerves and think but her body refused to move and everything inside of her was screaming at her to freeze.  To stay still.  To  get smaller.  To not attract attention.

She took another breath, but it didn't help calm her nerves.  She leaned forward, trying to peer around the corner to see what had moved when her eyes locked on a figure.  Memories of her older Brothers assaulted her almost as quickly as the fear.  She pressed herself back against the building, squeezing her eyes closed against the panic, trying to keep the whimpers from escaping her lips.

The figure was tall.  Thin.  Black robes that moved like smoke and shadows swirled around it.  She saw a boney hand.  It reminded her of the skeleton models in all of her human physiology and biology classes.  She couldn't tell if it was bone, but it was thin and too pale to be what she would associate with flesh tones.  She didn't catch more than a glimpse, but the face ... she had seen that face before and she didn't know if it was her mind providing her a frame of reference or if it stole the image from her mind.  The face was fleshy alright.  It was decaying flesh with a lime-greenish glow.  It was the face of the Gatekeeper from the video board game her brother's use to play. _Nightmare_.  It was the game of Nightmares.  For years, that game plagued her dreams and gave her sleepless nights.  It was years before she could actually play the game without being convinced the being would escape through the TV and trap her in a blackhole in "The Other Side". 

She couldn't hear anything other than the blood rushing in her veins and the pounding of her heart.  She held her breath as long as she could, letting it out slowly and taking in slow, easy breathes when her lungs burned too much to keep holding it.  Her fists were clenched, and she found her eyes squeezing tight as well, her body pressed as close to the wall as possible, curled in on itself, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.  She hoped it'd be enough. 

 _Please be enough_.  She found herself pleading.  She could feel tears stinging her eyes and she choked back a sob, unable to keep it within her and covered her mouth with her arm as it escaped.  _Please, Please, God, let me get through this._ She found herself pleading, resisting the urge to  rock as she played the mantra over and over again. 

She was too afraid to open her eyes and look again.  What if he (it?) was there, ready to throw her to the Other Side?  What if it found her? What if this was it?  She shook her head, trying to stop herself from spiraling down that road but the longer she sat there, the more her mind spun and spun down the rabbit hole of fear until she couldn't think about anything else.

 _Please help me._ She pleaded, unable to stop the sob that escaped her lips and she hated herself for losing control but she couldn't keep it together anymore. 

 _Please, God, help me._ She prayed. 

She thought she heard a voice say something about her fear tasting good but she wasn't sure if that was her, the Gatekeeper/being, or a trick of her mind. 

She could feel the being coming closer, the air becoming heavy with wrongness again.  But she couldn't move.  She couldn't open her eyes.  She couldn't...she couldn't...

_Lucifer, please help._

Almost as soon as she thought the words, the air became lighter, easier to breathe and she gasped, feeling lightheaded at the sudden ease air filled her lungs.  She could feel someone with her but it wasn't the wrongness she had felt before.  A sob of relief escaped her and she found herself sobbing into her arms, unable to get a grip on her whirling emotions.

"Ms. Lopez," An uncertain, British voice said and she launched herself at the voice, arms wrapping around the stiff body, taking comfort in the smell of sandalwood, scotch, smoke, and that unique scent of _Lucifer_.

"You came," She managed to sob out, clenching him tighter and taking comfort in the presence of another.  She wasn't alone anymore.  She could do this.

She felt his hands move tentatively around her.  One hand around her back, the other seeming to hover before it stroked her hair once before resting between her shoulder blades.  His body was still tense but he was no longer like hugging a brick wall.

"I apologize it took so long," He said, his hand twitching slightly before stroking her hair again.  "I had to get a lift from Morpheus but he lacks the power to do more than transport me into your part of the Dreaming.  Navigating your dream was tricky until you ... called to me."

"Thank you," She said, pouring her heart into the words as she gave him one more squeeze before pulling away with a sniff.  She turned her head away from him to look back down the alley but she didn't see or notice anything out of the ordinary.  Feeling more confident than she had a moment before, she moved towards the end of the alley and looked in the direction she had last seen the Gatekeeper but he was gone.  Nothing was in sight other than the park across from her and the houses that continued to line the street on either side of the alley.  If it wasn't for the oddness of the whole thing, she'd expect to hear birds chirping and children playing.  Everything strangely normal.  "Did you .... I swear there was... there was this ..." She turned to look at Lucifer, pleading with him to confirm what she had seen but he shook his head as he moved to stand with her.

"When I arrived, you were alone," Lucifer stated, looking pained as he said the words and she found herself frowning.

"It was ... I thought he was going to..." She shook her head and forced those thoughts away as she felt the beginnings of her panic returning.  "Is it gone?" She asked him and his pained look told her everything she needed to know.

"Ella ... I need to apologize," He stated, his voice soft as she spoke and she felt her heart sink.

"You just saved me," She stated, gripping his arm as she looked back down the streets and to the park, not seeing the being.  "We need to move though.  He...it'll be back." She told him, looking left, right, and across, trying to work out the best move for them.  The streets on both sides were fairly empty and looked to be purely lines of residential houses.  The trees gave her enough pause to consider avoiding it.  The mix of pine, palm, and maples were too much of a mix of both worlds that she wasn't sure what they would find there but she didn't want to be stuck in another alley and she'd already been by the stadium to know what was over there.  The park likely had something on the other side.  Somewhere they could hide.

Park it is.  She thought as she tugged on Lucifer's arm and started to cross the street and towards the park.  He followed, a little reluctant at first as if he didn't want to move but went with her anyway.  They walked in silence, the grass soft against her feet as they moved.  She didn't know how long they walked but she could feel the weight of whatever Lucifer felt he had to apologize for between them.  She sighed and stopped, turning to face him.

"Ok.  What is it Big Guy?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied him, trying to work out the puzzle before he answered.  Lucifer didn't respond for a long moment, staring at her blankly.  If she didn't know him better, she would have thought she imaged the whole thing but she could read blasé look for what it was.  A mask.

"What do you remember about the meeting with Ray Ray?" He asked and she frowned, her mind thinking back to his penthouse when Ray Ray had appeared.  She remembered feeling hurt at her friend thinking it wasn't a good idea for her to be in the know.  She remembered that ultimately, Ray Ray had trusted her.  She vaguely remembered something about Death being Endless?  Endless Death?  It got hazy at that point.  

"We were going to ask Ray Ray about the deaths. I...th-there was something about Death and Endless?" She asked, frowning as she tried to piece the vague impressions in her mind.  Why couldn't she remember what Ray Ray had to say?

"We did.  Ella, you fell asleep." He stated, and his words made it sound scarier than she thought it should.  He looked like he was telling her she had died.  But she didn't.  She felt her heart skip a beat. She couldn't have.  Her breath left her and she suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe. Did she?

"I'm going to end up like the others aren't I?" She asked, her mind blank, unable to think as she stared unblinking ahead.  Trying to process what he had just said.  It couldn't...this couldn't be how it all ended right?

"No!" His voice was firm, strong.  Insistent that she was wrong.  As if what she suggested wasn't even possible and she felt a pang of sympathy for him.  She had seen Mr. Sanchez.  She had read about the other cases.  Seen some of their case files thanks to a friend in the IT department that may have hacked a couple systems for her.  She knew what was going to happen.  It was beginning to make sense.  This empty world that didn't make sense.  The Gatekeeper.  The darkness. 

"It's ok," She whispered, feeling oddly at ease with the whole thing.  She could take comfort in knowing she wasn't alone.  And, if it was her time, she'd end up with the Big Guy upstairs and maybe, just maybe, she could see him and yell some sense into him to make amends with his son.  After all, isn't forgiving the sins of others one of the tantamount parts of the Bible? The teachings of God and Jesus and his disciples?

"You're not going to die, Ella." Lucifer stated, his face set in a look of pure determination and, for a moment, she believed him.  "We can stop him," He said, his voice firm but there was something tentative in his eyes as he plead with her to believe.

"How?" She asked and he sighed, looking as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders and listened as he caught her up on everything that had happened while she had been running from the Gatekeeper being in her nightmare.

"I can't ... I can't guarantee what will happen," He finished, his eyes pained as he met her gaze.  "I believe I have the power to destroy what Morpheus calls the Darkness but I can't ... divinity and humanity never mix well.  I can't be sure what will happen to you.  We are in the realm of the Dreaming but it is still tied to your mind.  By destroying the darkness, I could inadvertently destroy part of you."

"Oh," She couldn't help the words as they escaped her lips.  Her brain was silent for a moment, processing everything he had told her.  Part of her didn't feel like this was real.  Like she was going to wake up from a strange dream at any moment and then her stomach twisted and she remembered she was trapped in a dream and she wouldn't wake up.  She'd either die, the Gatekeeper/Darkness eating away at her fear before moving onto the next one, or Lucifer would destroy it with the Light of God and she'd ... she'd either wake up or she wouldn't.  She'd either be alive (physically) but could have the brain power of mashed potatoes after.  He didn't know and she didn't know and no one could know.  It was her choice, he had told her before began.  Her choice to make and he'd stay with her until the end either way.  Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks.  There really wasn't a choice. 

"I'm sorry," Lucifer whispered.  "I'm sorry I can't offer you more concrete conclusions to all of this."

"It's not your fault," She said, blinking away the tears, sniffing once and meeting his gaze. "Ok."  She said, her voice firmer than her emotions felt.  "What's the plan?" She asked, feeling far braver now than she'd ever felt in her life, determined they would bring down the darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else play the video board game Nightmare? Or was that just me and my sister? Also, apparently the Tigers outside of Comerica Park are unnamed. Who knew? I always thought at least one of them was named Paws but apparently not. Anyway, Ella has adopted my head-canon. If anyone knows differently, please let me know. I asked several of my baseball/Tigers loving fans and none could confirm or deny the names of the Tiger statues.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot apologize enough for the lateness on this one. I honestly didn't expect it to take me this long to get this chapter posted but life happened. In addition to my full time job, I help manage and run an all volunteer nonprofit who does Christmas support for local kids. All in all, I helped organize and provide Christmas to 280 kids. Needless to say ... my life got crazy! 
> 
> In addition, this chapter has been a monster. I've unofficially named it "the chapter from hell" because I've written and rewritten it probably four or five times. Each time, I got stuck and nothing worked and I scrapped it and started over. I managed to salvage the "good bits" in this one but it's entirely different from all of the others. I apologize for any mistakes. Honestly, I didn't do much revising because I was ready to be done with it and move on. I like the final outcome so I hope you all enjoy this and are still hanging in there. I have probably 3 chapters left - two to wrap up loose ends and one epilogue so we're almost there!

Ella chewed on her lip and scanned the area, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched for the Darkness to appear but there was no sign of the him (it) since Lucifer had joined her in the ally.  They had moved and, after some debate, finally settled on a plan of attack. 

Lucifer believed the Darkness wouldn't return if he was too close and Ella would needed to draw it out, to lead it back to Lucifer who would whammy it with the Light of God and, assuming all went well, the Darkness would be eliminated, Lucifer would be able to leave the Dreaming and she'd wake up with no ill effects.  The Endless, specifically Dream and Death, would be fully restored and the universe would go on as it always did.  That was how it was going to go and Lucifer's looks of doom and gloom couldn't convince her otherwise, though there was a small annoying little voice in the back of her mind that whispered in the negative but she wouldn't let that voice sway her.  

When they had crossed to the other side of the park, and she caught sight of the building standing proudly before them, Ella had felt more hope and certainty that everything would turn out ok.  She knew that building inside and out.  A part of her, the good part she grew into, was ashamed at how she knew it so well but it was the perfect place for them to plan their attack.  The old Michigan Central Station, or the "Detroit Train Station" as her generation always called it, had been closed for almost as long as she could remember.  The old building was a stomping ground for graffiti artists, drugs, and gang wars.  It was there she'd first proven to her Brothers that she was brave (and a bit stupid).  She'd tagged that building on her thirteenth birthday on a dare and almost got busted for it.  But she'd lived in infamy among her brothers and their friends.  Her tag could be seen from I-75 and she always looked for it when she drove by.  It wasn't the best thing she'd ever done, but a part of her would always be proud of what it represented. 

While the building needed a facelift or two, it had good bones and she knew it as well as she knew her lab.  Lucifer had taken some convincing, but he'd eventually relented and agreed to her terms.  He should be waiting in an alcove above the main entrance.  He'd swoop down and whammy the Darkness after she ran past. Everything would be fine. 

_If_ she could draw the Darkness out again.

She sighed and moved away from her tree, resisting the urge to look behind her and study her sanctuary once again.  She couldn't tip the being off that Lucifer was waiting for it.  But she wanted that tangible assurance safety was just out of reach.

Lucifer didn't want her to wander too far and she hadn't argued with that part of the plan.  She was done with running.  If her time in the Dreaming could translate the real world calories, she wouldn't need to work out for a year.  She knew it wasn't real but she felt exhausted.  She was ready for this to be over with. 

_"Can you face the Darkness?" Lucifer had asked her and she opened her mouth to protest and found her brain had frozen again.  She couldn't think._   _All she could picture was the Gatekeeper's face_.  _Her lungs had started to burn_. _The green glow on his (its) face burned in her mind's eye_.  _Her vision blurred_. _The way the shadows seemed to move around him_...  _Her heart seemed to be jack hammering out of her chest_ _and the air suddenly seemed to be too thick to breathe_. _Her lungs were on fire_.  _"Your fear tastes sweet, Young One,"_ _had echoed in her head and she gasped, suddenly able to breathe_. 

She pulled herself away from those thoughts, shuddering at the memory of her brief panic attack.  She could do this.  She could face the Darkness and lead it to Lucifer who would smite it to hell.  Everything would go to plan and everything would be ok.  It had to be.

She glanced behind her to gauge how far she'd moved.  She couldn't lose sight of the tree or the train station.  If she did, she wasn't confident she could find her way back.  This world was too different.  Too other to navigate if she got turned around.  She could still see both so she kept moving, her steps loud and her pace slow.  She needed to draw it out.  She wasn't hiding anymore.

"Come on," She found herself muttering aloud.  The suspense was killing her. She just wanted it over.  She needed it to be over, regardless of the outcome. "Where's tall dark and creepy when you want it?" She continued, sighing as she took another couple steps forward.  "I mean, I'm not hiding anymore.  I'm right in the open.  It can come and get me at any time now."

The eerie silence continued and she sighed, feeling frustrated.  She didn't know how long she should wait before giving up.  She had no way of knowing if she'd been out here for five minutes or five hours.  Time wasn't consistent here; it seemed to change based on the whim of something beyond her control - just like the landscape.  Maybe that was Morpheus' doing.  She'd have to try and remember to have words with him when she saw him again.  If she saw him again.

"Any time now," She muttered, kicking a stone and watching as it skidded across the ground infront of her before stopping at the edge of the grass.  "Aaaaany time-"  her words were stuck in her throat as the hair on the back of her neck prickled and every instinct within her told her to freeze.  To run.  To hide.  Wrongness.  Fight.  Flight.  Those instincts warred in her mind and she found it hard to think of anything else.

The world went still again.  As if the pause button had been pressed.  She could feel the air around her getting heavier.  Soon it would be so thick she could touch it.  She would swear the shadows moved, rushing away from their normal places and towards the all consuming darkness, becoming part of it - the Darkness.  The being the feeds on fear and lives in dreams.

_Move!_ Her brain screamed but her body was frozen.  She couldn't get the command to leave her brain and send the message down the synapses nerves and to muscles and ligaments needed to make herself move.  To turn around.  To face the Darkness and run towards her sanctuary.  She couldn't move.  She was stuck and frozen and the air was getting thicker.  It was harder to breathe and her vision was starting to blur.  Her heart was pounding in her ears and she couldn't hear anything other than the blood roaring in her veins.

"There you are, Young One," The disembodied voice said, the words causing her skin to crawl and her lungs to burn.  It was harder to breathe.  The air was too thick.  "Fear of the pure hearted tastes so much sweeter."

The word fear rang in her mind and seemed to shake loose whatever was frozen.  Fear. Fear.  Run. Run. Move.  Sanctuary.  She gasped as she managed to turn herself.  The Darkness was approaching her from her left shoulder.  She could see its shape from the corner of her eye.  She moved her head so she couldn't see it.  She didn't need the reminder of what was at stake.  She couldn't afford to freeze again. Run. She thought and like a horse out of the starting gate, she moved.  She ran faster than she's ever thought possible.  Maybe it was the dreaming.  Maybe it was the spike in adrenaline from the Darkness' words ringing in her head.  Maybe it was the fight or flight response finally kicking in.  Whatever it was, she ran.  She didn't need to look to see if it was following her.  She could hear his laughter behind her, clearly enjoying the chase.

 She had no idea if it was six inches or six feet behind her.  She ran for her life and she knew if she could make it to the train station - to Lucifer - everything would be ok.  She stumbled when the terrain changed from dirt and grass to hard pavement but she kept going, she couldn't look back.  She couldn't stop.  She needed to get to the Train Station.  Her heart raced and pounded in her chest.  her lungs were burning and she could feel a cough building in her chest but she knew she couldn't let it escape.  If she let one go, she'd end up in a fit and she didn't have time to spare.  She needed to get to Lucifer.  She could fall apart after. 

Her running slowed as she entered the station, the sudden change in lighting, from harsh daylight to the darkness of the building made it hard to see but she kept going, relying on memory to navigate herself through the columned entrance and to the left towards the hiding place she used as a teenager from the cops. 

Her foot caught on an uneven patch of floor and she went down hard, panting, utterly spent.  Her head swam and vision blurred.  She was breathing heavy and her lungs felt like they couldn't get enough air. Her body was made of lead and she wasn't going to be able to get up.  She heard a laugh behind her.  Not the kind, British one of her guardian devil but the evil laugh of a being made of darkness.  Of wrongness.  She wanted to call out but she couldn't.  Her vision was blurry and she couldn't tell if she had made it to her mark or not.  She tried to reach out, to pull herself forward but her body wouldn't respond.  A whimper escaped her throat and she knew she was done.  This was it.

"I could feed from you until the end of days," The voice said, causing her heart rate to speed up at the sound, her skin prickling in response.  Though instincts told her to run, she couldn't.  She was spent.  "It's a shame I can't keep you," It sounded closer, but she couldn't tell if it was next to her or on the other end of the train station.  She struggled to breath, to try and say something witty but the only thing that escaped her was a pathetic whimper and a cough as her lungs tried to pull in more oxygen.

Her head pounded and the world seemed to tilt.  The air around her seemed to grow thicker and she was feeling more light headed.  She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking onto her cheeks, trying to pull coherent thought from the mess of pain, dizziness and lightheadedness.

"If I were stronger, I could keep you until the end of days, slowly feeding off your fear.  Your pure heart.  It would last me for centuries," The voice said, and she could tell it was closer.  The air was heavier. The shadows were dancing, moving, shifting.  "It's a shame, but your death will give me the strength to conquer your world."

"It's a bigger shame," Another voice said, and she felt relief flood her at the words.  The accent that was as familiar to her as her abuela's.  "That you have no soul," Lucifer continued, and she could hear the predator in his voice.  She knew she should be afraid.  Two beings with powers beyond her comprehension facing off over her, but she had her faith.  She knew her devil.  Either way, she'd be fine. "I'd _love_ to play with you in Hell," He concluded and could almost imagine his other face.  The one he wouldn't show her, facing off against the Darkness who threatened to end her.

The world around her shifted and she closed her eyes, her ears ringing and head pounding.  She didn't know what happened or what was going on but her head was on the verge of exploding.  There was no other words for it.  She could feel her hands digging into her scalp, trying to ease the pressure but nothing helped. She could feel warmth and nothingness all at the same time.  She felt pain and numbness.  It all existed together and not at all.  She managed to pull herself to kneeling, the world spinning and her head feeling like it weighed more than the rest of her but she wasn't going to face the end on the floor.  If this was it ... she was ...

Her eyes froze on the site before her.  Nothing else existed but the light.  The light and the wings.  The white wings that were the whitest white that could ever exist.  It shouldn't exist.  White would forever pale in comparison to this.  It was ... it was she was reminded of the freshly fallen snow in the sunlight, sparkling and radiant.  The snow that accumulated before the salt trucks and traffic made it grey and dirty.  It was magnificent and so ... it was so _white_ but so much _more_. 

And the light ... the light was ... it was indescribable.  It was rainbows and glitter and sunshine and _white_ all wrapped up into one.  It was everything and it was nothing.  It was ... she'd never find words to describe it but it would be burned in her memory until the day she died.  She'd live for that light.  It was her faith.  It was _everything_.

The light burned brighter and she was forced to close her eyes, unable to look at it without feeling it burn her corneas.  She could feel it, almost still see it behind her eyelids.  She needed ... her head pounded harder than she could remember.  Her stomach rolled and she resisted the urge to throw up.  Her ears started ringing, a low noise that grew and built until it became unbearable.  She could feel herself screaming but she couldn't hear it over the ringing and the pounding of her head. 

And then there was nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter is planned to be up before 2019 ... does that help make this ending any better?


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly later than I had intended but here it is! We have one or two chapters after this one - it depends how the length works out when I get to finalizing 13 and an epilogue so we're almost to the end. I hope this chapter helps to answer some questions but I think you'll have more. Hang in and everything will be wrapped up over the next chapter (or two).

"...Luci?" A voice was saying, buzzing annoyingly in his ear.  It sounded far away, as if at the other end of a tunnel.  He wanted to tell it to go away, to leave him alone and bug someone else but the voice continued to call to him, sounding more desperate as it moved closer through the tunnel.

There was a buzzing in the background, like a swarm of bees that became more annoying as the voice got louder, clearer and less distorted.  The voice sounded oddly familiar but he couldn't place it.  He didn't want to.  It was almost too much work.  But it was insistent and the buzzing was getting to be more annoying.  He wanted to tell it to go away but the signal didn't connect from his brain to his mouth, getting stuck somewhere in the synapses and nerves that communicate and control his mouth and vocal cords.  It didn't seem like it would be something that would lose a connection.  The brain and mouth were a lot closer than brain and foot but it was happening.

"Luci!" The voice yelled and he couldn't stop the wince.  Amenadiel.  That was the voice.  He sounded anxious, and part of him wanted to continue to drift to let him know how it felt to be abandoned.  But something in the back of his mind told him he had to stop.  That something wasn't right.  He _needed_ to follow the voice and get out of the tunnel but it felt endless.  It was easier to just ...

"Lucifer!  If you're messing with me, I swear to Dad I will ..." the voice drifted off and he wasn't sure if Amenadiel finished the threat or not.  Part of him, the part that always whispered in the back of his mind, the mischief that caused him to question Dad's way of things and resulted in the first parental disowning in history, wanted to continue to drift and see what happened.  But there was another part ... a more insistent part that told him he needed to pull out of the buzzing and face Amenadiel.  There was something important.  He was doing .... something. 

"He's ok, Amenadiel.  He just needs time," A female voice said. It sounded familiar too and he could feel something, like the ghost of a touch move through his hair like the echo of a long forgotten touch.  The other voice was soothing.  Almost comforting in place of the anxious voice of his brother but something was nagging in the background of the buzzing and the voices.  Something important.  Something ... something just out reach.  He could taste the importance but he couldn't remember what or why it was. 

"I don't know how much longer I can hold this, Azrael.  If the Doctors and Nurses find us here ..." his brother sounded strained.  Almost panicked. 

"It'll be ok," His sister said, sounding strangely confident and insistent. 

"Ray-Ray?" He managed to say, his voice coming out raspy and his head exploded and he worked to keep the whine from escaping the back of his throat.  It was getting clearer. 

"Lu?" "Luci?" Came the combined voices of his siblings and he managed to open his eyes but nothing was in focus.  He was in a hospital room.  He could hear the steady beeping of equipment.  Why was he ... ? Chloe?!  She was .... no she wasn't shot.  He'd gotten her the cure for the poison.  She was fine.  He was ...

"Ella?" He managed rasp out, sitting upright and snapping his eyes closed as the world spun and tipped on its axis.  He held a hand to his head, knowing it was useless but it seemed logical that the outside pressure against his throbbing temples would act as resistance against the drummers in his head. 

"She'll be ok," Azrael said, sounding confident which helped to ease the growing anxiety.  

"Morpheus?"

"He took off and went back to restore the Dreaming and check on Death," Amenadiel answered him.  "He asked me to extend his thanks on behalf of the Endless."

He took a deep breath and nodded his acknowledgement of Amenadiel's message.  He kept his eyes closed for another beat and opened them, glad the world seemed to remain stable and turned his gaze to Ella who was laying in the hospital bed.  She appeared to be sleeping or still unconscious.  He frowned as he studied her.  Did she look paler?

"We need to go," Amenadiel said, sounding anxious.  "I had to stop time while you were in the Dreaming to prevent the doctors and nurses from breaking the connection.  We can't be here when they return."  He finished, sounding strained.  Lucifer looked at his brother and noted the sweat running down his face, the strain on his face as he worked to keep time stopped.  Lucifer briefly wondered what radius he had stopped but it wasn't time for that.  He looked away from Amenadiel and back to Ella, frowning as her machine started to beep at a different tone.  Was that a bad sign?

"I can handle it," He muttered dismissively.  His powers of persuasion have only ever failed him against one human in particular.  He doubted there was another in Los Angeles that he was "choosing" to be human around. 

"Uh .... no offense Lu, but you look more like death than Death herself."

He couldn't stop the automatic scowl at Azrael's assessment. He fought the Darkness in the Dreaming, sure.  But that had been on another plane.  It was barely physical.  While his head was still pounding and he was almost certain he could engage in sloth - not in his top 4 favorite sins - for a week, he couldn't look _that_ bad.

"She'd know," Amenadiel pointed out, and Lucifer could hear the smugness in his voice.  His scowl deepened and part of him knew they were right.  They needed to get out here before the human doctors and nurses got suspicious.  His persuasion would only be a temporary fix.  Anyone who questioned too much ... it could fall apart.  But he didn't want to leave Ella.  He had to know if she was ok.  If she'd come out of this unscathed or if his use of divinity within her portion of the Dreaming had broken her.  It didn't go the way they had planned.  She was suppose to be hidden away from it all.  But she'd exhausted herself; between the fight she'd put up before he entered her dream and her role of drawing the darkness to him ... but he didn't have a choice.  He couldn't wait for her to recover and break the being's hold.  He could feel it becoming stronger and the dreaming had started to deteriorate.  It had been now or never and he only hoped he hadn't broken her beyond repair.  He wasn't sure if he could live with that guilt. 

With a resigned sigh, he pushed himself up from the chair he had been sitting in when Morpheus had pulled him into Ella's dream and winced as the stiff muscles stretched.  He glanced at Amenadiel and nodded once and took a step towards the door when the world tilted and his vision went white.  Almost simultaneously, he felt the impact of a small body and he couldn't stop the "oof" that escaped at the moment of impact as his hands gripped his sister's smaller frame.

"I gotcha, Lu," She said, and he could feel her move, shifting them both until she was supporting his weight as if he wasn't a foot taller and only half in control of his movements. He had just gotten the world to stop spinning when she started moving them towards the door. 

It was probably for the best that Amenadiel had stopped time, but it was beginning to slowly reassert itself.  As they moved into the hallway, the noncelestials were beginning to move.  Each movement was in slow motion; a fraction of an inch per minute but going faster as they moved away to Ella's room and down the hall.  They had just entered the stairwell when everything snapped back into real time.

The gasp from Amenadiel made them pause.  The Angel was hunched over, head hanging against his chest, breathing hard as he worked to catch his breath.  The feat of keeping time stopped for hours had taken its toll. 

"Amenadiel," Azrael whispered, her voice filled with concern.  She looked between Amenadiel to Lucifer and he could feel her vibrating, trying to figure out who she needed to help more.  Amenadiel held up a finger, breathing hard as he worked to catch his breath. 

"Give me a minute," Amenadiel stated, already sounding better than he had when time had reasserted itself. 

"We need to move before you both end up hooked up to machines," Azrael muttered, glancing nervously down the hallway.  Lucifer couldn't help but snort at his sister's comment.  She glared at him and he couldn't help but grin.

"The human doctors would be convinced I'm fine," He said, waving a hand in dismissal.  "Though it might be fun to see what kind of probing they'd do to Amenadiel ... maybe we should find one?" He suggested and Azrael's glare only deepened and he couldn't stop the laugh at her response. 

"Says the Devil who can barely stand on his own two feet," She muttered.

"I don't need my feet to talk, Sister-mine." He answered in a sultry tone and she rolled her eyes in response. 

"Luci!" Amenadiel scowled and Lucifer rolled his eyes in response.  Really it was a reflex at this point. 

"We need to go," Azrael said, giving Amenadiel an appraising look who nodded his agreement. 

"You used to be more fun," Lucifer stated, as Amenadiel straightened himself and moved towards the stairwell.

"I'm already going to be in trouble with Dad," Azrael stated, anxiety weighing her words, and Lucifer scoffed.

"Dad can shove it and" Before he could finish his thoughts on their father, an alarm blared down the hallway, causing them to freeze.  An announcement was made almost simultaneously from the hospital speakers indicating an emergency in IC Room E-1008.  Lucifer felt his blood run cold and he shook his sister's grip on him and moved away and back towards the way they'd come.  It was Ella's room.

" _Lucifer_ ," Amenadiel whispered, as if he was a curse and a part of him wanted to bristle at that but it was an annoyance buzzing around in the background.  Ella was ...

An arm restricted his movements and he found himself glaring into his brother's eyes.  He could feel the hell fire starting to blaze in his veins.  A soft arm took his hand, squeezing it.

"Lu, she's not on the list," Azrael whispered and he turned sharply to her, ignoring Amenadiel.  "Ella ... " She closed her eyes, as if in pain as she shook her head and looked back at him, tears in her eyes as she pleaded with him to trust her.  " she'll be in for a recovery but she's not on the list." Azrael confirmed, her voice shaky as she said the words.  "She's not on the list, Lu. She'll be ok." Her voice was stronger this time and he knew she was telling the truth. 

"We'll let the human doctors do their thing," Amenadiel said, putting pressure against Lucifer and forcing him to move towards the stairs.  "They'll save her.  In the mean time ... we need to get out here."

Azrael nodded her agreement as they started down the stairs. 

"I'll keep watch," Azrael promised as they continued the decent down and to the hospital exit. 

 

 ***

 

The Uber ride from the hospital back to Lux was relatively uneventful.  They could have flown but both Amenadiel and Lucifer were too exhausted to cloak themselves and maintain flight.  Azrael had left as soon as they were outside and a safe distance away from the humans.  She had wanted to stay, to make sure Lucifer and Amenadiel made it back ok but duty called and she needed to check in with Death.  Besides, the brothers were fine.  Amenadiel, more so than Lucifer.  The ride only seemed to energize the Angel as Lucifer felt it draining him.  Lucifer knew Amenadiel was buzzing to know the details of what had happened in the Dreaming but it was neither the place nor the time to discuss it. 

After tipping the driver, they exited the Uber and watched as it pulled away.  It was late and the alley behind Lux was deserted, the club closed for the night.  Amenadiel glanced at the door and back to Lucifer. 

"I can-"

"You can go," Lucifer said, waving him off.  "I'm fine, Brother."

Amenadiel didn't look convinced and frowned.

"Luci-"

"I don't owe you any explanations, Amenadiel," Lucifer snapped, his exhaustion giving away to impatience and irritation.  He didn't want to discuss the Dreaming and the Darkness with Amenadiel.  He wanted to know Ella was ok; more than just alive, that her brain hadn't melted into a puddle of goo and he wouldn't be visiting her in assisted living for the rest of her life.  He wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.  He wanted the pounding in his head to go away.  He didn't want to deal with the Light and what it meant and Amenadiel's "message" or "Dad's will".  He's had enough to last another millennia or three. 

"Fine.  I'll go.  For now."  Amenadiel stated, giving him a pointed look before unfurling his wings and taking off in a whoosh of air displacement.  Lucifer glared at the spot his brother had been and sighed, trying to work up the energy to move from his spot in the alley to the door and cross the club to the elevator ... it was too much energy.  Maybe he could just drop here.  It was starting to sound appealing.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to that," A dazed voice said and he snapped his attention away from the pavement and towards the voice, mentally berating himself for missing the observer.

"Detective," He managed to say but it lacked its usual gusto.

Her expression shifted from dazed to concern as she tore her eyes away from where Amenadiel had been standing and took him in.  She sucked in a breath and was at his side faster than his eyes could track, her arms around him and squeezing him tightly in a hug. He couldn't stop the startle, the involuntary movements to shift away before realization overrode instinct and he returned the gesture.  He'd spent too many years with touch being only necessary to survive; to punish; to fight.  He wasn't sure if he'd ever get use to the idea of displays of affection that were not related to sex but he was finding he didn't mind this form of contact when it didn't involve small humans, unknown sticky substances, and tears. 

She pulled back enough to look at his face, her eyes soft and filled with concern as she studied him up close.  One hand lifted from his waist to brush a stray lock of hair back into its normally coiffed place before cupping his cheek.  He couldn't help but lean into it, reveling in the fact that she knows and she's choosing to touch him.  A dark part of him wondered if she'd still touch him with his other face but he shoved those thoughts down and back into the box of things he didn't like to think about it.  It wasn't the time to be maudlin and he was too exhausted to drink those thoughts away.

"Ella?" She asked, her voice soft.

"She's ... Azrael says she'll live." He answered, not knowing if he could say much more than that.  He didn't want to lie.  He didn't know for sure if she'd be ok.  If she'd be _Ella_ when this was all over.  He knew his Detective.  He knew she had a thousand questions for him, probably more than Amenadiel but he could see she was keeping those at bay and, if he wasn't already in love with her, he thinks that gesture alone would have solidified it.

"Let's get you upstairs," She said, kissing his cheek and moving her hand to take his hand, squeezing it gently.  It was a testament to how exhausted he was that he followed her without comment.  Part of him wanted to respond with innuendo but he knew it would fall flat and he was honestly not feeling it.  If she was expecting him to make any inappropriate comments, she didn't comment on the lack thereof.  She really was the perfect human. 

They rode the elevator up to his penthouse in silence and he, even if he was being forced to admit it under hell's greatest torturers, wouldn't say he only made it up there because she let him lean into her, supporting his weight as he felt his eyes grow heavier. 

The elevator stopped and the doors opened and she moved them into the apartment.  He stumbled into bed, not bothering to shed any clothes (his tailor will murder him for sure) before he closed his eyes and let the world start to slip away.  He could feel a tug at his feet as Chloe pulled off his shoes and a dip of the mattress as she settled next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. 

"Is this ok?" She asked him and he thinks he made a noise of assent before consciousness slipped away and the wasn't aware of anything other than the warmth and weight of her body next to his. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the epilogue! Thanks to everyone who has commented/left feedback. You all make my day with your comments. I apologize for the delay but here it is! I hope to have the Epilogue done next week but we'll see.

She poked at the unidentified meat on the tray before her, trying to decide if it was safe to eat.  Lunch today was some kind of meatloaf and it looked just as unappetizing as it smelled.  She made a face at it, as if that would suddenly transform the mystery meat into something edible.  She sighed and stabbed at the substance without enthusiasm and tried to wrangle up the will to eat the dish.  She was suppose to be released sometime this afternoon but she was required to eat lunch.  She had originally been looking forward to it but once the food service girl had left the room, she realized what a chore that would end  up being.  The mystery meat was all that was standing between her and freedom and it wasn't sure if it was worth the reward.

The door to her room opened and she sighed as she looked up, expecting the nurse's aid to be there, needing another blood sample or stick her with something else but her gloom mood brightened when she saw it wasn't Tia but Lucifer, balancing a tray of drinks and a bag that smelled like mexican. 

She couldn't stop the grin on her face as she shoved the tray away and greeted her friend.

"Lucifer! Oh, you are a life saver!" She said, eagerly eying the food he had brought.

"Yes, well....the Detective was working on paperwork and after a rather lengthy discussion on how unhelpful I was being on wrapping up the latest case, I decided my services would be better appreciated elsewhere." He stated, giving her a grin that she knew would melt the heart of a gorgon and cast a distasteful glance at her tray.  "Is that even real food?" He asked her, looking appalled and she couldn't help but feel vindicated at the assessment.

"Dude, you have no idea," She stated, and glanced excitedly at the bag he sat down on the nightstand next to her bed.  "Is that what I think it is?" She asked, hope rising as the smell of cilantro, cumin, and chicken filled the room.  "Puffy tacos?" She asked, giving him the big pleading eyes she use to give her brothers as he reached in the bag and handed her a Styrofoam container.

"And churros." He added as he reached in the bag for his own container and sat down in the chair beside the bed.  "if you're good." He added, grinning at her and she rolled her eyes with a snort.

"Funny man," She said, opening her container and taking a bite of her taco, moaning at the flavor.  Her first taste of real food in days.  If she wasn't already on Team Lucifer, he'd have had her worshiping him for sure.

They ate in mostly companionable silence, with Ella asking him for updates "on the real world".  She asked him general questions about what he'd been up to and how work was going.  She got vague answers but enough that satisfied her, for now.   As she ate, she studied him, taking note that he looked better than he had two days ago when she had first woken up.

The first time she'd seen Lucifer, he'd been paler than normal and seemed ... tired.  Exhausted.  She'd been too exhausted herself to comment on it but he was seemingly back to normal.  She didn't remember much of her first 24 hours awake, but she did have vague impressions of the doctor's being baffled at her miraculous recovery and Lucifer looking like something a drowned rat the cat had dragged in.  She didn't remember much of the Dreaming anymore.  As more time passed, it was fading more and more but she remembered he was there and she remembered the Darkness.  She remembered fear.  And then she remembered a light ... a sense of such overwhelming peace that when she thought of it, her brain stopped and she couldn't do much more than sigh in contentment.  But the spell never lasted long and it left her feeling a bit empty after. 

She had remained in the hospital for observation purposes and, while her exhaustion level was certainly better than it was, she suspected getting out of the hospital and having a solid uninterrupted sleep would do wonders for the rest of her recovery.

As she studied the man across from her, noting the return of his color and the mischief dancing in his eyes, she didn't know how much of it was due to actual improvement or just a mask he was displaying for the world.  He was a tough cookie to crack, her Lucifer.

Once the tacos and churros were devoured, she changed tactics.

"So ... what happened?" She asked him and Lucifer gave her a curious look. "In the ... in the Dreaming.  I don't ... it's been fading.  I don't remember what happened."

Lucifer's look changed from curious to relieved as she explained what she was asking and back to his care-free nonchalance mask that she knew he used to mask his true emotions.

"It's probably for the best you don't remember," Lucifer stated, giving her a carefree grin.  "I turned on the lights and the Darkness went away.  That's all that matters," he stated in such a cheerful way that she knew he was hiding something from her.

"Lucifer-"

"I know what you need," He said, changing the subject as he gave her an award winning smile and getting up from his chair.  "You were to be released today, yes? Let me go find your Doctor or Nurse or whoever is bloody in charge and get you out of here," He said quickly as he headed towards the door of her room.

"Lucifer, _thank you_." She called after him and he froze in the threshold before turning to face her.

"You have no need to thank me," He stated, something dark lingered in his expression before it was hidden away with his mask of nonchalance.  "Who wouldn't be itching to get away from this place? Honestly, I don't know why Dad needs hell when there's hospitals," He stated, rolling his eyes as he turned to leave.

"You know what I mean," She called after him and he froze for a moment, sighed and nodded once before leaving the room. 

She didn't know what was going on with him, but she was certain that she'd get to the bottom of it one way or another.

 

 

It took Lucifer 15 minutes to find the medical director and within another five, she was discharged and on the way home.  She had no idea his desire voodoo could work that kind of magic but she was not going to complain.  She had expected to sit there for another hour or two to get through the bureaucratic paperwork and mutters of how she's a medical miracle.

As they drove, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.  Lucifer was actually obeying traffic laws.  He was staying in his lane and not rapidly changing to the fastest one.  He stopped at yellow lights.  He was even diligently using his turn signal.  She wanted to say something but she bit her tongue and kept it to herself. 

"Hey, can we stop by the Station?" She asked him, breaking the silence as they neared the intersection to the precinct. 

"The Doctor's all said you shouldn't return to work until next week." He stated and gave her a sideways glance.

"And since when does the Devil follow rules?" She asked, with a grin and he smirked at her. "Besides, I promise I'm just going to say 'hi' to everyone if it makes you feel better," She said, rolling her eyes and resisting the urge to add a 'dad' after her sentence.  Knowing about his own Dad issues, she wasn't sure how he'd take the teasing sentiment but he pulled her from her thoughts at the loud scoff.

"I'm offended you think I would not whole heartedly encourage your act of rebellion, Ms. Lopez."

"So it's settled.  Station, ahoy Jeeves!"

" _Jeeves_?!" Lucifer sputtered, obviously offended by the implication of him being her chauffer. "I'll bloody give you Jeeves," He muttered as he simultaneously pushed the gas pedal to the floor and the Corvette roared to life.  She couldn't hide her squeal of delight as they roared their way to the station.

 

 

A chorus of "Ella!" greeted her when they walked into the station.  She was hugged and asked if she was ok and given all the well wishes one would expect from her coworkers. 

"Glad to see you're better," Dan whispered to her as he hugged her.  "Sorry I can't stay, I need to follow up on a lead," He told her as he held up a file and moved away.

"Good luck!" She called after him and made her way to her lab.  "They better not have messed with anything," She told Lucifer as he followed her.  "I swear, if one beaker is out of place, heads will roll." She told him.

"Mmm, I suppose," Lucifer stated, thoughtfully, as if trying to provide a better plan for her revenge. "But rolling heads are quite messy. I'd go for..."He trailed off as Chloe joined them and pulled Ella into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're ok," The older woman stated, grinning at her, "but what are you doing here?"

"I needed to get a couple things, how's things going?" Ella asked as they moved into the lab.  Chloe sighed as the door closed behind her.

"Well ... I'm having a hell of a time writing up the report on the Sanchez case.  Chief wants something definitive and I can't exactly write 'The Devil smote the Darkness' in the wrap up."  She said, and Ella caught the eyes roll as she moved to her desk and started to straighten the papers covering it. 

Lucifer scoffed, looking offended at something Chloe said.  "Detective, I don't smite people.  That's all Dad," He stated, hesitating a moment before adding, "and a bit of Mum."

"See? That's the help I get," Chloe stated, rolling her eyes.

"I'd say I eviscerated the Darkness," Lucifer concluded and Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, like that's any more helpful than what I said," She muttered, and turned back towards Ella.  "Seriously though, how are you doing?" Chloe asked her as Ella finished organizing the papers and started looking for notes.

"Doctors want me to follow up with a cardiologist for awhile to make sure there's no lasting effects, but I feel fine.  They keep calling me a miracle, which has gotten old, let me tell you."

"In their defense, it's not like we can tell them your illness was caused by a ... being from another dimension feeding off your fear," Chloe stated, and blinked.  "I still can't get over how insane that all sounds," She said, shaking her head as if to clear the disbelief. 

"Yeah, that's definitely not covered in medical school that's for sure," Ella said, grinning as she uncovered her notebook and slammed the drawer shut that she found it in.  "I'm just glad we were able to stop it before anyone else got sick or died."

"Do you ... do you remember any of it?" Chloe asked her and Ella shook her head.

"Just vague things.  It was clearer before but I only remember impressions of things.  Lucifer thinks it's better I don't remember."

"Divinity and exposure to other dimensions don't mix well with humans.  If you did remember it, you'd probably be drooling and babbling about light and warm fuzzies in an institution the rest of your life," Lucifer stated, the mask fully in place. 

"I was fine when I saw your wings," Ella pointed out.

"...yes, but that's ..." He sighed.  "The Light of Creation is something else entirely.  I'm just glad there's no ill effects."

"Did you always have it?"

"I didn't.  I did at one time, before ... everything but I lost it when I fell.  I barely remembered it and no, I can't use it anymore, not that I'd want to." Lucifer stated, waving them both off. 

"Either way, I'm glad it all worked out," Ella stated, knowing that the discussion was closed. 

"Me too," Chloe agreed and Lucifer hummed his agreement. 

"Yes ... it was all something of a Miracle," He muttered with a glance at Chloe before he clapped his hands together with a grin and offered up ice cream on him.  Who could refuse?

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always appreciated. I plan to try and update periodically and relatively consistently (probably about once every two weeks) but I can't promise anything for certain. If you stick with me, I will do my best to make it worth it.


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